Fergie's Tech Blog

Chinese Authorities Behind Google Attack, Researcher Claims

Gregg Keizer writes on ComputerWorld:

The malware used to hack Google is so sophisticated that researchers brought in by the company to investigate believe the attack code was designed and launched with support from Chinese authorities.

According to Carlos Carrillo, a principal consultant for Mandiant, a Washington D.C.-based security incident response and forensics firm, the attack against Google last month was "definitely one of the most sophisticated attacks I've seen in the last few years."

Mandiant was called in by Google to look into the attack, and Carrillo was the project manager for the Google investigation. During an interview Friday, he frequently chose his words carefully, saying that there was much he couldn't discuss because the work was ongoing.

"The malware was unique," Carrillo said. "It had unique characteristics ... it was ... let's just say it was unique."

posted by Fergie @ 1/15/2010 01:55:00 PM