Microsoft took control of a number of websites that were being used by a Chinese government-backed hacking group to target organizations in 29 countries, including the U.S.
Microsoft said on Monday that a federal court in Virginia had granted an order allowing the company to take control of the websites and redirecting the traffic to Microsoft server.
Microsoft said the group was targeting organizations in the U.S. and other countries. It said that there is a correlation between China and nickel targets.
Microsoft said it observed highly sophisticated attacks that installed hard-to- detect software that facilitates intrusion, surveillance and data theft. Microsoft stated that it has not observed any new vulnerabilities in Microsoft products.
Tom Burt, Microsoft's corporate vice president for customer security and trust, wrote that obtaining control of the malicious websites and redirecting traffic from those sites to Microsoft's secure server will help them protect existing and future victims.
In addition to the U.S., Nickel also targeted organizations in Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, France, Guastavino, Hungary, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, and more.
More than 10,000 malicious websites have been taken down by Microsoft's Digital Crimes Unit through 24 lawsuits. The team took control of the malicious web domains used in the large-scale cyberattack that targeted victims in 62 countries.
