Senator Urges FTC Probe of Microsoft Over Security Failures

Senator Ron Wyden has urged the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Microsoft’s cybersecurity practices, arguing the company’s security lapses have caused real harm to critical infrastructure and public safety. In his letter to FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson, Wyden says Windows is “incredibly vulnerable to ransomware infections” in default configurations and accuses Microsoft of dangerous software engineering decisions that remain hidden from many customers.

He points to the Ascension incident in May 2024, when a contractor clicked a malicious link, enabling lateral movement and ransomware across thousands of systems, with the attackers reportedly stealing the personal information of 5.6 million people. The letter notes that access to Ascension’s Active Directory was gained via Kerberoasting, a tactic enabled in part by Microsoft’s continued support for RC4, despite a Microsoft blog in October 2024 promising deprecation.

Wyden concludes that Microsoft’s cybersecurity practices pose a national security threat and urges the FTC to hold the company accountable for its security failings.