Operation Aurora was a highly sophisticated cyberattack that targeted Google and over 20 other companies, highlighting the advanced tactics and techniques utilized by attackers.
Strong evidence pointed towards China's involvement in Operation Aurora, raising concerns about state-sponsored cyber espionage and diplomatic discussions regarding cyberattack diplomacy.
Deep dives
Operation Aurora: A Sophisticated Attack on Google
In late 2009, Google experienced a highly sophisticated cyberattack known as Operation Aurora. Hackers breached Google's network, compromising numerous systems and attempting to access sensitive data. The attack targeted not only Google but also over 20 other companies, including Adobe, Yahoo, Microsoft, and more. The attack utilized advanced techniques, such as spear-phishing emails and zero-day exploits, which made it difficult to detect and stop. Google was able to quickly respond, halt the attack, and remove the compromise from its network. However, the incident raised concerns about the level of sophistication and advanced tactics utilized by attackers targeting commercial businesses.
China's Involvement in Operation Aurora
During the investigation of Operation Aurora, strong evidence pointed towards China's involvement in the cyberattack. The attackers primarily targeted Chinese human rights activist email accounts and sought access to specific Gmail accounts with court orders requested by the US law enforcement. The scale and level of sophistication of the attack suggested the involvement of a well-funded and advanced group. Moreover, the attackers originated from servers in two Chinese schools, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Lanxiang Vocational School. The speculation about China's role in the attack was further supported by statements from US officials and diplomatic discussions between the US and China regarding cyberattack diplomacy.
The Elderwood Hacking Group: Continued Sophistication
The hacking group behind Operation Aurora, commonly referred to as the Elderwood group, continued to carry out sophisticated attacks following the incident. They utilized zero-day exploits, such as those targeting Adobe Flash, and targeted not only tech companies like Google and Adobe but also defense companies and human rights organizations. Their modus operandi evolved from spear-phishing emails to watering hole attacks, where they compromised popular websites to infect visitors' computers. The group demonstrated remarkable knowledge of software vulnerabilities and the supply chain within the targeted industries. Their activities suggested significant resources, advanced capabilities, and the ability to continually develop new exploits.
The Changing Dynamic of Cyber Espionage
Operation Aurora and the activities of the Elderwood group illustrate the evolving landscape of cyber espionage and the modern-day arms race. Governments and other actors continuously aim to gather intelligence and gain advantage through hacking and stealing valuable data. The use of zero-day exploits has become a norm, and governments often keep such vulnerabilities to themselves for their own offensive capabilities. This battle between spyware versus spyware takes place in secret, hidden from public view. The increasing sophistication and prevalence of cyberattacks call for heightened defenses and vigilance, especially for companies involved with defense contractors.
In 2009, around Christmas time, something terrible was lurking in the network at Google. Google is the most popular website on the Internet. It’s so popular many people just think Google is the Internet. Google hires many of the most talented minds and has been online since the 90s. Hacking into Google is no easy task. There’s a team of security engineers who test and check all the configurations on the site before they go live. And Google has teams of security analysts and technicians watching the network 24/7 for attacks, intrusions, and suspicious activity. Security plays a very vital role at Google, and everything has to have the best protections. But this attack slipped past all that. Hackers had found their way into the network. They compromised numerous systems, burrowed their way into Google’s servers, and were trying to get to data they shouldn’t be allowed to have. Google detected this activity. And realized pretty quickly they were dealing with an attack more sophisticated than anything they’ve ever seen.
