This is just the tip of the iceberg, as the group has a total of 37GB of data waiting on the sidelines and ready to be leaked.
For a tech company, its source code for its apps and services is its most treasured secret; if they ever get into the public eye, it’ll reveal how the company did what it achieved. Unfortunately for Microsoft, a hacking group called Lapsus$ has managed to steal a lot of the company’s source code, and now they’re leaking it online.
The Massive Microsoft Leak Caused By Lapsus$
As reported by TechRadar, the Lapsus$ group published evidence on Telegram that they had gained access to one of Microsoft’s Azure DevOps accounts. And, unfortunately, the group now has a huge amount of data in their grasp, which is now leaking out onto the internet:
…Lapsus$ has made the source code for over 250 Microsoft projects available online in a 9GB torrent. According to the group, the torrent itself contains 90 percent of the source code for Bing and 45 percent of the source code for both Bing Maps and Cortana.
However, that’s only part of what Lapsus$ has under its belt. TechRadar points at a recent statement from BleepingComputer that the group has 37GB of Microsoft source code, and all of it seems to be legitimate.
Fortunately, it seems that the hackers didn’t manage to get their hands on the Windows 11 or Microsoft Office source code. However, the data the hackers do have is enough to severely damage Microsoft’s position in the tech market.
What’s Next for Microsoft?
It’s unlikely that Microsoft can stop the hackers from leaking the data out. And given how the hackers are using the end-to-end encrypted Telegram service, it’ll be hard to find them before they can do anything else.
With the leak containing 90 percent of Bing’s source code, competitors will know the vast majority of how Microsoft does its business. As such, there’s a good chance that the tech company has an upward battle to fight from now on as its secrets are exposed for all to see.
A Nasty Leak for Microsoft
With Lapsus$ threatening to leak Microsoft’s best-kept secrets, we’ll have to see if the company decides to double down on its services or let them fade into obscurity. And with yet more data waiting in the sidelines to be released, it’s going to be a rocky road for the tech company for the next few weeks.
