WASHINGTON, June 13 (Reuters) - Microsoft ( MSFT )

President Brad Smith will testify before a House of

Representatives panel on homeland security on Thursday, fielding

questions about the company's security practices after Russian

and Chinese hackers breached its systems over the past year.

China-linked hackers stole 60,000 U.S. State Department

emails last year by breaking into the tech giant's systems,

while a Russian group spied on Microsoft's ( MSFT ) senior staff emails

earlier this year, according to the company's disclosures.

In a scathing report in April, the Cyber Safety Review Board

- formed by U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro

Mayorkas - slammed Microsoft ( MSFT ) for its lack of transparency over

the Chinese hack, which the board said had been preventable.

The world's biggest software-maker, which is also a key

vendor to the U.S. government and national security

establishment, has faced similar criticism from its security

industry peers.

Lawmakers will examine Microsoft's ( MSFT ) security lapses,

challenges in ensuring defending against cyberattacks, and plans

to improve its security measures, the House panel for homeland

security said in an earlier statement. They will also discuss

the findings and recommendations of the board report following

the Chinese hack.

"Since this is not the first time Microsoft ( MSFT ) has been the

victim of an avoidable cyberattack, and in light of the CSRB's

report, it is now Congress's responsibility to examine

Microsoft's ( MSFT ) response to this report," Congressman Mark Green

from Mississippi will tell Smith at the hearing, according to

details of his opening statement seen by Reuters.

"Mr. Smith, as a long-time, key leader within Microsoft ( MSFT ), I

anticipate that you will help us understand the gaps that

enabled these recent cyber intrusions."

Following the board's criticisms, Microsoft ( MSFT ) had said it was

working on improving its processes and enforce security

benchmarks. In November it launched a new cybersecurity

initiative it said was aimed at preparing against the

"increasing scale and high stakes of cyberattacks."

"We are making security our top priority at Microsoft ( MSFT ), above

all else -- over all other features," the company said at the

time.