British pair arrested for conspiring to hack Microsoft

Multiple attempts to infiltrate Microsoft's network earlier this year

A 22-year-old man from Lincolnshire and a 25-year-old man from Bracknell have been arrested over repeated attempts to infiltrate the Microsoft network between January and March this year.

The pair were detained on suspicion of gaining unauthorised access to a computer and for computer misuse act offences.

The South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU) which announced the arrests says that the two men remain in custody.

Det Sgt Rob Bryant from SEROCU's Cyber Crime Unit said: "We are working closely with our colleagues in EMSOU (East Midlands Special Operations Unit), Microsoft's cyber team, the FBI, EUROPOL and the NCA's National Cyber Crime Unit (NCCU) to investigate these offences.

"This group is spread around the world and therefore the investigation is being coordinated with our various partners. We've made two arrests in the UK this morning and have seized a number of devices.

"We are still in the early stages of this investigation and will work with our partners to ensure that cyber criminals have no place to hide.

"It is too early to speculate on what information the group have accessed, however, after speaking with Microsoft we can confirm they did not gain access to customer information. The offences took place between January 2017 to March 2017."

Tom Burt, vice president and deputy general counsel at Microsoft's Digital Crimes Unit commented on the sentencing, saying: "Today's action by authorities in the UK represents an important step. Stronger internet security depends on the ability to identify and prosecute cybercriminals. This requires not only a strong technical capability, but the willingness to acknowledge issues publicly and refer them to law enforcement. No company is immune from cybercrime.

"No customer data was accessed, and we're confident in the integrity of our software and systems. We have comprehensive measures in place to prevent, detect, and respond to attacks. We also have specialist teams focused on working with law enforcement to identify people who attack either us or our customers, and we're committed to fast and effective action against attackers."