Dow Chemical is Chinese Hacking Target

At least 29 firms involved in the chemicals industry were targeted by a recent series of cyber-attacks traced to China, according to Symantec. The security company said it had evidence a further 19 companies, including defence specialists, had also been affected. It said the attacks began in late July and lasted until mid-September. Symantec said the campaign was focused on intellectual property, including formulas and design processes. While the report did not reveal the names of any of the companies involved, it did say they included Fortune 100 firms. It disclosed that at least 12 of the infected companies were based in the US, five in the UK, and two in Denmark. Several of the firms were also said to have developed materials for military vehicles. US giant Dow Chemicals confirmed to the BBC that it had been the target of "unusual emails" received during the summer. "Dow engaged internal and external response teams, including law enforcement, to address the situation," he said. "As a result, we have no reason to believe our operations were compromised."

Read the full story here!