Microsoft curbs Chinese access to cybersecurity flaw data

[Microsoft logo and text sign of Microsoft company office]

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/MSFT]) (TSX:MSFT:CA [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/MSFT:CA]) to curtail Chinese companies' access to its early warning system for cybersecurity vulnerabilities, following speculations of Chinese involvement in hacking attacks against Microsoft SharePoint servers.

This comes after last month's hacking attempts against Microsoft SharePoint servers after information leaked from Microsoft's Active Protections Program (MAPP), including breaches impacting over 400 organizations.

“We’re aware of the potential for this to be abused, which is why we take steps – both known and confidential – to prevent misuse,” said David Cuddy, a Microsoft spokesperson. “We continuously review participants and suspend or remove them if we find they violated their contract with us, which includes a prohibition on participating in offensive attacks.”

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/MSFT]) explained that this change applies to MAPP participants in countries where they are required to report discovered vulnerabilities to their governments, a policy targeting China among others.

Previously, select Chinese security firms were granted early access to technical vulnerability details and "proof of concept" code, which can mimic the operation of real malware—helpful for patching but also potentially useful for hackers. Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/MSFT]) said several Chinese firms would no longer receive such codes but gave no more specifics about which companies had been restricted.

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