Symantec warns of an electronic espionage campaign targeting US and European energy companies...

                    

Hackers have targeted US and European energy companies in an electronic espionage campaign that in some cases succeeded in breaking the rules that control corporate operations, Symantec security researchers said.

Symantec said in an article published on Wednesday that malicious mail campaigns were used effectively and well to penetrate organizations in the United States, Turkey, Switzerland and other potential countries.

"These cyber attacks began in late 2015 but grew tense in April this year," said Eric Shin, a security researcher at Syamantec during a press interview. "It is probably a foreign government conspiracy that bears the hallmarks of the dragonfly."

The research also adds to concerns that industrial companies, including energy suppliers and other utilities, may be potential targets and prone to cyber attacks that could be used for destructive purposes in the event of a major geopolitical conflict.

In June, the US government warned industrial companies against a breakthrough aimed at the energy and nuclear power sectors, saying in a warning seen by Reuters that pirates had sent fraudulent messages to collect credentials to reach the target networks.