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By Mark Clayton Staff writer
Christian Science Monitor
updated 5/6/2012 1:13:23 AM ET

Alerts say major cyber attack aimed at gas pipeline industry
Intrusions aimed at control systems, agency of Homeland Security warns

A major cyber attack is currently under way aimed squarely at computer networks belonging to US natural gas pipeline companies,
according to alerts issued to the industry by the US Department of Homeland Security. At least three confidential "amber" alerts –
the second most sensitive next to "red" – were issued by DHS beginning March 29, all warning of a "gas pipeline sector cyber
intrusion campaign" against multiple pipeline companies.



DHS reaffirmed late Friday in a public, albeit less detailed, "incident response" report from the Industrial Control Systems Cyber
Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT), an arm of DHS based in Idaho Falls. It reiterated warnings in the earlier confidential alerts
made directly to pipeline companies and some power companies.

In yesterday's public warning, ICS-CERT re-affirms that its "analysis of the malware and artifacts associated with these cyber attacks
has positively identified this activity as related to a single campaign from a single source. It goes on to broadly describe a sophisticated
"spear-phishing" campaign – an approach in which cyber attackers attempt to establish digital beachheads within corporate networks.