A suspected state-backed cyberattack has infiltrated the Washington Post’s internal email system. The attack targeted Microsoft email addresses used by various journalists, with the preliminary findings pointing towards a strategic attack against reporters covering sensitive international subjects. The breach was discovered on Thursday evening, and an internal memo was circulated among staff on June 15th. According to the memo, which was issued by executive editor Matt Murray, the incident is considered a potential unauthorized intrusion, and only a small number of accounts were impacted. Journalists reporting on China, national security, and economic policy are believed to have been the primary targets. These journalists are often the subject of sophisticated hacking attempts from state-sponsored groups, particularly those based in China. The attackers exploited vulnerabilities within Microsoft Exchange servers, which have been previously used by advanced persistent threat (APT) groups. Chinese hackers have previously used Exchange vulnerabilities to compromise systems, including those of U.S. government agencies and NATO member nations. Microsoft itself has cautioned about the risks associated with the Exchange platform. In 2023, a critical zero-day vulnerability was discovered and exploited in NTLM relay attacks. Furthermore, cybersecurity firm ESET has noted that groups like APT27, Bronze Butler, and Calypso have also employed zero-day bugs in Exchange to conduct elaborate espionage activities. The Washington Post has not disclosed technical specifics regarding the recent hack, nor has it publicly attributed the attack to any particular nation. The company is working with cybersecurity specialists to investigate and assess the full scope of the damage.