Microsoft admits Outlook.com hackers accessed email accounts

In what could spell reputational damage for Microsoft, the company has admitted that its Outlook.com security breach, which was revealed over the weekend, was far worse for some than others.

Microsoft admitted that hackers were able to access accounts for months earlier this year and they could have viewed not only account addresses, folder names, and subject lines of the emails, but also viewed the content of the emails, The Verge reported.

The company has started notifying affected users, which it believes to be a ‘small group’. However, there is no clarity on how many users had their accounts compromised.

It has been claimed that hackers were able to access some accounts for up to six months and used the access to reset iCloud account linked to stolen iPhones. However, Microsoft dubbed the claims as inaccurate.

In a notification to customers, Microsoft stated that unauthorised access to some accounts was observed between January 1 and March 28, 2019.

Whether or not you are part of the small group affected by the breach, it is recommended to reset your passwords and look for any data loss that may hamper your online identity or transactions.