(Newser)
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Chinese hackers successfully broke into the systems of at least five Western energy multinationals in a "coordinated, covert and targeted" espionage campaign, according to a report by cybersecurity firm McAfee. The hackers had access to the oil firms' networks for years and made off with gigabytes of sensitive information including bidding documents and proprietary information about oil and gas field operations, according to McAfee, which labeled the attacks "Night Dragon."
The hacking appears to have been an organized campaign focused purely on spying instead of sabotage, but it's not clear who was behind it, according to McAfee's vice president of threat research. The attack was "potentially directed either by the private sector or the public sector," he tells the Wall Street Journal. "It's impossible for me to know for sure which one." Law enforcement agencies have launched an investigation based on McAfee's info.
