Iranian cyberattacks

REDMOND, Wash.

Microsoft has detected cyberattacks linked to Iranian hackers targeting thousands of people at more than 200 companies over the past two years. According to a Wall Street Journal report Wednesday the hacking campaign stole corporate secrets and wiped data from computers.

Microsoft told the Journal cyberattacks affected oil-and-gas companies and makers of heavy machinery in several countries, including Saudi Arabia, Germany, the United Kingdom, India and the U.S., and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.

Staff/wire reports