Microsoft says it will no longer use China-based engineers to support the Pentagon. But ProPublica found that the tech giant has relied on its global workforce for years to support other federal clients,

Microsoft is investigating whether a leak from its early alert system for cybersecurity companies allowed Chinese hackers to exploit flaws in its SharePoint service before they were patched, Bloomberg News reported on Friday.

Researchers say Chinese actors, along with other criminal hackers, exploited a security flaw in SharePoint software widely used by governments and businesses.

The path to a worldwide hacking campaign began with a contest for cash and a free laptop.

Microsoft has warned that Chinese state-sponsored hackers have breached its SharePoint software used by the US agency responsible for maintaining and modernizing the nation’s stockpile of nuclear weapons, according to a report.

Some of the most sensitive data the United States has to offer is currently being maintained by engineers from China, often considered, especially in the tech field, its biggest adversary.

Software giant Microsoft is at the center of cybersecurity storm after China-linked hackers exploited flaws in SharePoint servers to target hundreds of organizations.

After a ProPublica investigation raised security concerns, Microsoft will cease using China-based engineers for work on sensitive Pentagon cloud computing systems.

Microsoft Corp. said a Chinese hacking group is exploiting security vulnerabilities in the company’s SharePoint servers to deploy ransomware, following a cyberattack discovered last week that has affected hundreds of entities around the world.