7:20 p.m. | Updated
Adding update from Intel spokesman about the possibility of other
similarities between the Google and Intel attacks.
Intel said that it was a victim of a “sophisticated” cyber-attack that occurred around the same time as the much-publicized attack on Google and other companies.
Intel, which disclosed the January attack in a regulatory filing on Monday, played down the connection to the attacks on Google.
“The only connection between what we saw in January and the attacks on Google is timing,” said Chuck Mulloy, an Intel spokesman.
But a person familiar with the investigation into the attacks said that Intel was part of the same wave of attacks that affected Google and more than 30 other companies. Mr. Mulloy added later on Tuesday that “based on more research here we can’t rule out that there may be other similarities between the Google and Intel attacks.”
In its annual report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Intel said:
Google reported in January that it had been the victim of a sophisticated attack that had concentrated on at least 20 other companies and had originated in China. Google said it informed those companies of the attacks. Mr. Mulloy declined to say if Google had contacted Intel about the attacks. Other companies that were victims included Adobe Systems, Northrop Grumman, Juniper Networks, Yahoo and Motorola.
Intel said that it was a victim of a “sophisticated” cyber-attack that occurred around the same time as the much-publicized attack on Google and other companies.
Intel, which disclosed the January attack in a regulatory filing on Monday, played down the connection to the attacks on Google.
“The only connection between what we saw in January and the attacks on Google is timing,” said Chuck Mulloy, an Intel spokesman.
But a person familiar with the investigation into the attacks said that Intel was part of the same wave of attacks that affected Google and more than 30 other companies. Mr. Mulloy added later on Tuesday that “based on more research here we can’t rule out that there may be other similarities between the Google and Intel attacks.”
In its annual report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Intel said:
We regularly face attempts by others to gain unauthorized access through the Internet to our information technology systems by, for example, masquerading as authorized users or surreptitious introduction of software. These attempts, which might be the result of industrial or other espionage, or actions by hackers seeking to harm the company, its products, or end users, are sometimes successful. One recent and sophisticated incident occurred in January 2010 around the same time as the recently publicized security incident reported by Google.Mr. Mulloy said the attacks on Intel weren’t as “broad based” as those described by Google and that Intel did not lose any intellectual property. He declined to say if the attacks originated in China.
Google reported in January that it had been the victim of a sophisticated attack that had concentrated on at least 20 other companies and had originated in China. Google said it informed those companies of the attacks. Mr. Mulloy declined to say if Google had contacted Intel about the attacks. Other companies that were victims included Adobe Systems, Northrop Grumman, Juniper Networks, Yahoo and Motorola.