Microsoft under fire after hacks of US State and Commerce departments

FILE PHOTO: A Microsoft logo is pictured on a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., January 25, 2021. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In late June, one of cybersecurity expert Steven Adair's clients got an alert from Microsoft: one of the client's employees working on human rights issues had their email account compromised. The client wanted to know if Adair could get to the bottom of it.

Adair, who used to work in cyberdefense at the U.S. space agency NASA before setting up his own firm, Volexity, immediately launched an investigation - and hit a brick wall.