[August 04, 2011] thousands of computer networks infiltrated [Virginian - Pilot] Tweet (Virginian - Pilot Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) By David Sarno, Salvador Rodriguez and Ken Dilanian Los Angeles Times LOS ANGELES In what may be the largest coordinated attack ever launched, hackers have for at least five years infiltrated the computer networks of thousands of companies, organizations and governments, stealing reams of intellectual property, military information and state secrets, security experts say. The perpetrators probably belong to a government-sanctioned group from either Eastern Europe or East Asia, according to security analysts. The hackers not only broke in but remained embedded in the computer systems, quietly siphoning secret data for years. "Even we were surprised by the enormous diversity of the victim organizations and were taken aback by the audacity of the perpetrators," Dmitri Alperovitch, vice president of threat research at Internet security firm McAfee Inc., wrote in a 14-page report released Wednesday. The theft of so much valuable information "represents a massive economic threat," he said. McAfee, which discovered the operation, did not identify the perpetrators, but many analysts said China had frequently been associated with such attacks, including one in 2009 that hit Google Inc. and helped persuade the company to shut down its search engine operation in that nation. In this instance, signs that a "state actor" was behind the breaches included the hacking of various nations' Olympic committees in the run-up to the 2008 Olympics. "There is likely no commercial benefit to be earned from such hacks," McAfee said. scale of the hack The security firm that found the breach was able to identify at least 72 companies, organizations and governments that came under attack, including six U.S. federal agencies, more than a dozen defense contractors, and the United Nations. The firm, McAfee Inc., said it's likely that thousands more were affected. (c) 2011 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]