The company has just confirmed that some computers got infected with malware

Feb 23, 2013 08:07 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft is the third giant that falls victim to a new type of cyberattack based on a Java vulnerability, after Facebook and Apple have both confirmed similar issues over the last couple of weeks.

The Redmond-based technology titan has confirmed in a blog post that a small number of computers got infected with malicious software, but no customers have been affected.

“As reported by Facebook and Apple, Microsoft can confirm that we also recently experienced a similar security intrusion,” Matt Thomlinson, general manager, Trustworthy Computing Security, said in a post.

Microsoft said that the malware reached some of the computers in its Mac business unit, so an investigation is now under way.

“Consistent with our security response practices, we chose not to make a statement during the initial information gathering process. During our investigation, we found a small number of computers, including some in our Mac business unit, that were infected by malicious software using techniques similar to those documented by other organizations. We have no evidence of customer data being affected and our investigation is ongoing,” the company added.

And still, Microsoft says that seeing such attacks aimed at its computers isn’t quite a new thing, as the company experiences similar attempts on a regular basis. Its employees are making efforts to improve computer security, so in most cases, cybercriminals are blocked before reaching any important data.

“This type of cyberattack is no surprise to Microsoft and other companies that must grapple with determined and persistent adversaries. We continually re-evaluate our security posture and deploy additional people, processes, and technologies as necessary to help prevent future unauthorized access to our networks,” Thomlinson explained.

Even though no customers have been affected, Microsoft recommends everyone to upgrade their security software and to make sure that the latest patches are deployed in order to block any malicious attempt or vulnerability exploit.