Microsoft president to testify before House panel over security lapses

Microsoft 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 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 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 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.