Microsoft: China-linked hackers used AI to target hundreds globally

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Microsoft: China-linked hackers used AI to target hundreds globally?

Of the 14 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 7% are rated left, 43% are rated centre, 50% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 30. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.

Is Microsoft: China-linked hackers used AI to target hundreds globally left or right?

Neither side dominates it. Of the 14 rated outlets on this story, 7% are rated left, 43% are rated centre, 50% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.

Is the coverage of Microsoft: China-linked hackers used AI to target hundreds globally biased?

Microsoft: China-linked hackers used AI to target hundreds globally is one event reported by 30 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.

Which side is not reporting Microsoft: China-linked hackers used AI to target hundreds globally?

When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.

Which outlets covered Microsoft: China-linked hackers used AI to target hundreds globally?

30 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.

What is Storm-0940?

Storm-0940 is the name Microsoft uses to track a hacking group described as Chinese state-aligned or China-linked. This group used an AI-driven penetration testing tool called ARTEX to compromise IT services firm ConnectWise as part of a global campaign targeting hundreds of organizations.

How did the hackers compromise ConnectWise?

The hackers, Storm-0940, used an open-source penetration testing framework called ARTEX, which can automate tasks using AI models. This tool was employed to compromise ConnectWise, allowing the group to achieve privileged cloud persistence and gain high-level access.

What kind of organizations were targeted?

The campaign targeted hundreds of organizations across a wide range of sectors. These included aerospace, defense, automotive, chemicals, energy, financial services, government, legal, manufacturing, media, military, semiconductor, software, technology, think tanks, and non-profit organizations.

What was the impact of the breach?

Storm-0940 achieved privileged cloud persistence, meaning they gained high-level access that could remain even after cleanup efforts. They attempted access to over 2,250 Microsoft 365 tenants, with a high volume of sign-in attempts per minute, potentially allowing them to maintain access within customer environments.