Microsoft blamed human error after two computers on its network were hacked and then misused by spammers to promote questionable online pharmaceutical websites.
Microsoft launched an investigation Tuesday, after the problem was first reported in the Register. "We have completed our investigation and found that two misconfigured network hardware devices in a testing lab were compromised due to human error," Microsoft said Wednesday in a statement. "Those devices have been removed."
After they were compromised, the two servers were to handle the DNS of more than 1,000 fraudulent pharmaceutical websites, according to Ronald Guilmette, the managing member of network security software vendor Infinite Monkeys. He discovered the hacked Microsoft systems late last week while researching pharmaceutical spam. "This same group has hijacked quite a lot of machines all over the world," Guilmette said in an interview.
More: http://www.pcworld.com/article/207784/
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Microsoft launched an investigation Tuesday, after the problem was first reported in the Register. "We have completed our investigation and found that two misconfigured network hardware devices in a testing lab were compromised due to human error," Microsoft said Wednesday in a statement. "Those devices have been removed."
After they were compromised, the two servers were to handle the DNS of more than 1,000 fraudulent pharmaceutical websites, according to Ronald Guilmette, the managing member of network security software vendor Infinite Monkeys. He discovered the hacked Microsoft systems late last week while researching pharmaceutical spam. "This same group has hijacked quite a lot of machines all over the world," Guilmette said in an interview.
More: http://www.pcworld.com/article/207784/
