Senator Urges FTC to Investigate Microsoft Product Security

Lawmaker Says Microsoft Lapses Led to Ascension Health's Major 2024 Hack Marianne Kolbasuk McGee (HealthInfoSec) • September 11, 2025

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, is urging the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Microsoft over the software giant's alleged "negligent cybersecurity" that he says contributed to ransomware attacks on critical infrastructure sector organizations, including last year's attack on Ascension Health.

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Wyden's letter on Wednesday to FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson called for regulatory scrutiny over Microsoft's security practices, citing inquiries made to his office after the 2024 ransomware attack on Ascension.

That hack disrupted Ascension's IT systems for weeks and also included the theft of data, compromising 5.6 million individuals' personal and health information (see: Ascension Notifying 5.6 Million ...