McAfee, the security company, has been tracking an unfolding story involving cyber attacks against large western energy companies. McAfee Chief Technical Officer George Kurtz has posted an important article about “Night Dragon” on the McAfee blog. As he puts it:
“Starting in November 2009, covert cyberattacks were launched against several global oil, energy, and petrochemical companies. The attackers targeted proprietary operations and project-financing information on oil and gas field bids and operations. This information is highly sensitive and can make or break multibillion dollar deals in this extremely competitive industry.
McAfee has identified the tools, techniques, and network activities used in these attacks, which continue on to this day. These attacks have involved an elaborate mix of hacking techniques including social engineering, spear-phishing, Windows exploits, Active Directory compromises, and the use of remote administration tools (RATs).”
McAfee is confident that these attacks are coming from China. Is this strictly private sector or is the Chinese government involved? Remember, the Chinese energy industry is basically state-owned.
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