Google Targets Microsoft’s Enterprise Security Weaknesses, Pitches Its Services to Governments

In the wake of a damning report from the US Cyber Safety Review Board (CSRB), Google is seizing the opportunity to challenge Microsoft’s dominance in the enterprise security market by offering its services to government institutions.

The Verge reports that the CSRB report, released in April, highlighted Microsoft’s “deprioritized” approach to enterprise security, which has led to preventable errors and serious breaches. Google, in a blog post on Monday, capitalized on these findings, emphasizing the importance of platforms holding strong security practices and their responsibility to do so.

Without directly naming its rival, Google repeatedly referred to Microsoft as “the vendor” throughout its post, underlining the need for governments to use “systems and products that are secure-by-design.” The tech giant recently committed to new security principles and urged public sector entities to regularly subject their tech products and services to security recertification.

In a pointed recommendation, Google advised governments to avoid “using the same vendor for operating systems, email, office software, and security tooling” – a clear jab at Microsoft, which provides all of these services and more to its vast enterprise customer base.

Microsoft’s security woes have been compounded by an ongoing breach perpetrated by Midnight Blizzard, a Russian hacker group that has gained access to the company’s executive communications and stolen source code. This breach, along with others, was cited in the CSRB report as evidence of Microsoft’s deprioritization of enterprise security.

As Microsoft grapples with the fallout and attempts to win back trust, CEO Satya Nadella has urged employees to prioritize security whenever faced with competing priorities. However, the company has yet to outline a clear plan to address its security shortcomings.

Microsoft suffered a massive breach at the hands of Chinese hackers in 2023 that included accessing emails associated with the State Department.. As Breitbart News reported:

Politico reports that the breach, which has sent shockwaves through Capitol Hill, has intensified concerns regarding the escalating hacking efforts allegedly emanating from China. The compromised information is believed to be highly sensitive, with victims’ travel itineraries and diplomatic deliberations among the most critical data accessed. The incident has not only raised eyebrows regarding international cybersecurity but has also brought the spotlight back on the Indo-Pacific diplomatic efforts, as nine out of the ten compromised email accounts belonged to individuals working on related issues.

The revelations came to light during a Senate staff briefing, where top officials from the State Department, including Chief Information Officer Kelly Fletcher, disclosed the details of the hack. The officials revealed that the hackers had managed to break into the accounts using a token stolen from a Microsoft engineer, impacting a total of 25 entities. These figures align with the public reports released by Microsoft, corroborating the extent and the method of the breach.

Read more at the Verge here.

Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.