Microsoft Will Now Tell Account Users if Personal Data Is Targeted by Nation State

Microsoft already lets users know whether their Outlook.com email and OneDrive accounts have been targeted or compromised. But it will now tell them if a state sponsor is responsible for the attack. Scott Charney, corporate vice president-Microsoft's Trustworthy Computing, wrote Wednesday in a blog post the company is doing this "because it is likely that the attack could be more sophisticated or more sustained than attacks from cybercriminals and others." But he said the company doesn't plan to provide any more detailed information about the attackers or methods used. If users get such notices, it doesn't necessarily mean their accounts are compromised, he wrote, but it does mean there's evidence their accounts have been targeted. He listed several steps users should take to strengthen the security of their accounts.