Iran Hacks Energy Firms, U.S. Says

[InfoSec News <alerts () infosecnews org>]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323336104578501601108021968.html

By SIOBHAN GORMAN and DANNY YADRON
The Wall Street Journal
May 23, 2013

WASHINGTON -- Iranian-backed hackers have escalated a campaign of 
cyberassaults against U.S. corporations by launching infiltration and 
surveillance missions against the computer networks running energy 
companies, according to current and former U.S. officials.

In the latest operations, the Iranian hackers were able to gain access 
to control-system software that could allow them to manipulate oil or 
gas pipelines. They proceeded "far enough to worry people," one former 
official said.

The developments show that while Chinese hackers pose widespread 
intellectual-property-theft and espionage concerns, the Iranian assaults 
have emerged as far more worrisome because of their apparent hostile 
intent and potential for damage or sabotage.

U.S. officials consider this set of Iranian infiltrations to be more 
alarming than another continuing campaign, also believed to be backed by 
Tehran, that disrupts bank websites by "denial of service" strikes. 
Unlike those, the more recent campaigns actually have broken into 
computer systems to gain information on the controls running company 
operations and, through reconnaissance, acquired the means to disrupt or 
destroy them in the future, the U.S. officials said.

[...]


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