For the past six months, an unidentified group of hackers has been mounting an ongoing, coordinated cyber attack on the control systems of U.S. gas pipelines, prompting the Department of Homeland Security to issue alerts.
According to U.S. officials, it’s unclear if a foreign power is trying to map the gas systems or if hackers are attempting to harm the pipelines. A previous attack on the oil and gas sector seemed to originate in China.
The hackers are using a technique called “spear-phishing,” according to the DHS, in hopes of stealing passwords and gaining access to the pipelines’ control systems. Spear-phishers send targeted emails to specific individuals that seem to come from friends or associates, and when opened, attachments or links in the emails release malware into the victim’s computer.
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