08:05 AM EDT, 07/02/2024 (MT Newswires) -- (Updates in seventh paragraph with a comment from Microsoft ( MSFT ).)

Microsoft ( MSFT ) has informed over a dozen state agencies and public universities in Texas that its emails with them were accessed by hackers tied to Russian intelligence services, Bloomberg reported on Saturday, citing a person familiar with the matter.

The breach was part of a larger cyberattack by the hacking group Midnight Blizzard in January, during which hackers stole emails from some of the company's executives.

The affected entities include the Texas Department of Transportation, Texas Workforce Commission, Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, Texas General Land Office, and the Texas State Securities Board, among others. Microsoft ( MSFT ) notified these agencies of their exposure to the attack, which the company attributes to a hacking group named Midnight Blizzard, linked to Russian intelligence services.

A spokesperson for the Texas Department of Information Resources confirmed the exposure of state emails and added that the emails appear to be routine administrative communications.

A Texas General Land Office spokesperson said Monday that hackers accessed 11 of its emails to Microsoft ( MSFT ) but added that they contained no sensitive or confidential information.

A spokesperson for the Texas Workforce Commission also confirmed that Microsoft ( MSFT ) informed the agency about the impact on its email systems but did not provide details.

"As our investigation continues, we have been reaching out to customers to notify them if they had corresponded with a Microsoft ( MSFT ) corporate email account that was accessed," a Microsoft ( MSFT ) spokesperson told MT Newswires, without providing further details.

(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)

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