Researchers Relate Gas Pipeline Attacks To RSA Breach

Recent spear-phishing attacks and breaches on natural gas pipeline companies can be traced back to the same spies likely involved in the RSA Inc. cyber attacks last year, the Christian Science Monitor reported in an exclusive story. 

RSA provides security services to defense companies and government agencies.

The breach to EMC’s security branch cost the firm $66 million to combat, according to the firm’s July 2011 earnings report. 

Government officials largely blamed China for the espionage attacks against RSA, including Gen. Keith Alexander, chief of U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency, according to the Monitor. 

Security firms Critical Intelligence and Red Tiger Security tested the attack signatures against the information from the RSA attack.

Critical Intelligence researchers told the Monitor similar Internet domain names were used in the recent attacks and the RSA breach.

According to the report, the attacks are either from the same threat actor or two threat actors who are using the same command and control servers to control the infected machines.