Using Microsoft e-mail account? It may have been attacked! Tech giant suggests you to do this

Microsoft security alert: American multinational technology company Microsoft has become aware of an issue involving unauthorized access to some customers’ web-based email accounts by cybercriminals. To overcome this breach affecting its web-based email services, Microsoft has alerted some users to change their passwords. It also says that some users may receive phishing emails or other spam emails. To be on the safer side, you should also change passwords even if you have not been hit by cybercriminals, if you are using e-mail accounts provided by Microsoft. 

What happened?
Microsoft confirmed to TechCrunch that “limited” number of people, who use web email services managed by Microsoft, had their accounts compromised. In a mail, Microsoft spokesperson said, “We addressed this scheme, which affected a limited subset of consumer accounts, by disabling the compromised credentials and blocking the perpetrators’ access,” 

Chinese news agency Xinhua quoted Microsoft as saying in the mail, ""We have identified that a Microsoft support agent's credentials were compromised, enabling individuals outside Microsoft to access information within your Microsoft email account between January 1 and March 28."

According to the mail, the unauthorised access may have allowed malicious hackers to access an affected user’s e-mail address, folder names, the subject lines of e-mails, and the names of other e-mail addresses the user communicates with “but not the content of any e-mails or attachments,” nor it seems login credentials like passwords.

Watch Zee Business Tweet video here:

Microsoft has also alerted some users, saying, “You should be careful when receiving any e-mails from any misleading domain name, any e-mail that requests personal information or payment, or any unsolicited request from an untrusted source.” 

Microsoft has warned users to not respond to e-mails from any misleading domain name, any unsolicited request from an untrusted source or any e-mail that requests personal information or payment.