Microsoft hack spills into South Africa, affecting treasury and businesses

Several entities in South Africa have been compromised by hackers who exploited a security vulnerability in Microsoft’s (NASDAQ:MSFT) SharePoint servers, according to Eye Security, the cybersecurity company that identified an early wave of attacks last week, Bloomberg reported.

Hackers breached about 400 government agencies, corporations, and other groups around the world, although the number could be a lot higher, the Dutch company said.

Most of the victims are in the US, followed by Mauritius, Jordan, South Africa, and the Netherlands, it added.

The National Nuclear Security Administration, the US agency responsible for maintaining and designing the nation’s cache of nuclear weapons, was among those breached, Bloomberg reported earlier. The National Institutes of Health was also impacted by the SharePoint flaws.

Additionally, South Africa’s National Treasury said it was seeking help from Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) after discovering malware on its network, but added that its systems and websites were operating normally.

On Tuesday, Microsoft said in a blog post that Chinese hackers have been exploiting vulnerabilities in its SharePoint software, which led to breaches recently.

The breach occurs against a backdrop of ongoing geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and China. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the attacks will be discussed during next week’s trade talks in Stockholm, according to the report.