The computer giant announced in a blog post on Monday the latest online assault targeted "resellers and other technology service providers" of its cloud service.

Microsoft has publicly identified the perpetrator as Nobelium, the hacking group behind the SolarWinds cyberattack, because "the latest activity shares the hallmarks of the actor's compromise-one-to-compromise-many approach.".

The blog post states: "The Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC) has detected nation-state activity associated with the threat actor tracked as Nobelium, attempting to gain access to downstream customers of multiple cloud service providers (CSP), managed service providers (MSP), and other IT services organizations ...

He wrote: "Today, we're sharing the latest activity we've observed from the Russian nation-state actor Nobelium.

He wrote: "Nobelium has been attempting to replicate the approach it has used in past attacks by targeting organizations integral to the global IT supply chain.

This time, it is attacking a different part of the supply chain: resellers and other technology service providers that customize, deploy and manage cloud services and other technologies on behalf of their customers.

"We believe Nobelium ultimately hopes to piggyback on any direct access that resellers may have to their customers' IT systems and more easily impersonate an organization's trusted technology partner to gain access to their downstream customers.".

Thom Langford, security advocate at cybersecurity startup SentinelOne, said he was unsurprised by the latest cyberattack, "given the dramatic rise in criminal activity in this area over the last few years.".