Cyberattacks on the Loose

Last August, there was a public disclosure of the most threatening and pervasive online espionage. This disclosure, prepared by internet security experts at Silicon Valley, after years of investigation, said that the cyberattacks have been going on for at least five years. The targets were identified as some U.S. companies and government agencies. Obviously, these attacks are threats to the country’s national security and economy.

According to McAfee, there were 72 organizations targeted, but the total number could reach into the thousands, and may include companies and government agencies. It was found that the attacks were mostly aimed at obtaining sensitive information. Going deep into the nature of the attacks, the experts suspected that the perpetrator is a particular nation. At present, the experts choose not to identify the offender.

A McAfee spokesperson said that the surveillance slowly eats up both the economic and national security advantages of the U.S. He considers the activities to be very serious as they steal valuable intellectual property. Consequently, these will adversely affect jobs and the condition of the economic community. The spokesperson did not give details of the data that is being stolen because doing so might raise privacy concerns of the targeted organizations. He simply reiterated that a particular nation is behind all these attacks.

Of the targets, McAfee identified that 49 are found in the U.S. These include a solar power company, defense contractors, tech companies, news organizations, real estate companies, and a county government. Targets outside of the United States include, among others, a government agency in Taiwan and some Olympic organizations.

Another cybersecurity expert said that China and Russia are two of the most active opponents of the U.S. when it comes to cyberspace. However, a Chinese government representative earlier denied any involvement by China in any such activities. He said that China is willing to work with other countries against these kinds of attacks, and emphasized that it is also a victim. He added that China is not happy with the way some people linked the country to hacker attacks.

The toll on the U.S. economy brought about by stolen data might not be felt for years. It is estimated by experts that the country loses as much as $20 billion every year to online espionage. It is possible that the attacker is first trying to weaken the country’s competitive edge before finally dropping the full weight.

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