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BAE Systems 2014.
All rights reserved. BAE SYSTEMS, the BAE SYSTEMS Logo and the product names referenced herein are trademarks of BAE
Systems plc. BAE Systems Applied Intelligence Limited registered in England & Wales (No.1337451) with its registered office at
Surrey Research Park, Guildford, England, GU2 7RQ. No part of this document may be copied, reproduced, adapted or redistributed
in any form or by any means without the express prior written consent of BAE Systems Applied Intelligence.
SECURITY RESPONSE
Targeted Attacks Against
the Energy Sector
Candid Wueest
Version 1.0
January 13, 2014, 14:00 GMT
The energy sector has become a major focus for targeted
attacks and is now among the top five most targeted sectors
worldwide.
Follow us on Twitter Visit our Blog
@threatintel http://www.symantec.com/connect/symantec-blogs/sr
CONTENTS
OVERVIEW...................................................................... 3
Introduction................................................................... 5
Exposed systems: Online and offline............................. 7
Smart grid: A new potential avenue of attack
History of discovered attacks...................................... 10
2013....................................................................... 10
2008....................................................................... 10
2003....................................................................... 10
2001....................................................................... 10
2000....................................................................... 10
Stuxnet................................................................... 11
Night Dragon.......................................................... 11
Shamoon/Disttrack................................................ 12
Spear phishing attacks in the energy sector
New Year
s campaign............................................. 14
Greek oil campaign................................................. 14
Motivation and origin................................................... 16
Protection and mitigation............................................ 16
Conclusion.................................................................... 19
Appendix...................................................................... 21
A. Spear phishing .................................................. 21
B. Visualization with TRIAGE.................................. 24
C. Phases of targeted attacks................................ 25
Resources..................................................................... 28
OVERVIEW
The energy sector has become a major focus for targeted attacks and is now among the top
five most targeted sectors worldwide. Companies in the sector are facing a growing risk
of having their services interrupted or losing data. The threat to energy firms is only likely
to increase in the coming years as new developments, such as further extensions of smart
grids and smart metering expose more infrastructure to the Internet. Equipment that is
not connected to the Internet and other networks is not immune to threats and there has
already been a number of successful attacks against isolated systems. Operators of critical
infrastructure, as well as energy utility companies, need to be aware of these threats and
prepare accordingly.
The threat to energy firms comes from several different sources. In some cases, espionage
from competitors is the primary motive, with data on new projects, exploration and finances
being targeted. Disruption and destruction are the goals of other attacks. Some instances
appear to be state sponsored, such as the disruption of the Iranian nuclear program by
the Stuxnet worm in 2010, one of the attacks that began this trend. Others appear to
be the work of hacktivists with political or environmental agendas. Internal attackers,
like disgruntled employees, are also a major source of attacks that often lead to service
disruption. The majority of the actors behind these attacks have grown more sophisticated
in the way they attack.
During the monitoring period from July 2012 to June 2013, we observed an average of 74
targeted attacks per day globally. Of these, nine attacks per day targeted the energy sector.
Accounting for 16.3 percent of all attacks, the energy sector was the second most targeted
vertical in the last six months of 2012, with only the government/public sector exceeding it
with 25.4 percent of all attacks. The high ranking was mainly due to a major attack against
a global oil company, which we observed in September 2012. However, in the first half of
2013 the energy sector continued to attract a high proportion of attacks, ranking in fifth
place with 7.6 percent of targeted attacks.
Not all of the attacks analyzed used highly sophisticated tools. Most of them could have
been prevented by following best practice guidelines for protecting the IT infrastructure and
the industrial components, indicating that despite high revenues and strategic importance,
many energy sector companies are not prioritizing cybersecurity.
INTRODUCTION
Many power
utilities companies
fear disruptive
attacks the most,
regardless of
whether it is done
by internal or
external attackers.
Targeted Attacks Against the Energy Sector
Introduction
The number of targeted cyberattacks in general has risen in the past few years. In addition to this, the rate of
attack exposure has also risen, with more companies becoming aware of attacks, expecting them and searching
for indications of compromise. It is not a new phenomenon, but its importance has grown. The Council on
Foreign Relations, a US think tank, reported that energy companies, including oil and gas producers, were often
the focus of targeted attacks during summer 2012. In May 2013 the US Department of Homeland Security
(DHS) warned of an increase in sabotage attacks against US energy companies located in the Middle East. The
government had tracked multiple attacks and issued a warning together with the Industrial Control Systems
Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT). A report by the US Congress supported this picture, stating that
many power utilities companies were under constant or daily attack through cyberspace. Taking into account
that successful breaches of critical infrastructures are still rare and that these numbers included generic
malware infections, it nevertheless highlights the potential for cyberattacks in the energy sector.
As in most sectors, attackers are often after valuable information. For example, we have seen attackers target
intellectual property such as technology for photovoltaic research and wind turbines, or data on gas field
exploration. Information such as this is of high value and can generate huge profits for attackers or their
sponsors. The same information can also be misused for an act of sabotage. Many power utilities companies fear
disruptive attacks the most, regardless of whether it is done by internal or external attackers. The energy sector

BAE Systems 2014.

Systems plc. BAE Systems Applied Intelligence Limited registered in England & Wales (No.1337451) with its registered office at

Surrey Research Park, Guildford, England, GU2 7RQ. No part of this document may be copied, reproduced, adapted or redistributed

in any form or by any means without the express prior written consent of BAE Systems Applied Intelligence.

SECURITY RESPONSE

Targeted Attacks Against

the Energy Sector

Candid Wueest

Version 1.0

January 13, 2014, 14:00 GMT

The energy sector has become a major focus for targeted

attacks and is now among the top five most targeted sectors

worldwide.

Follow us on Twitter Visit our Blog

@threatintel http://www.symantec.com/connect/symantec-blogs/sr

CONTENTS

OVERVIEW...................................................................... 3

Introduction................................................................... 5

Exposed systems: Online and offline............................. 7

Smart grid: A new potential avenue of attack

History of discovered attacks...................................... 10

2013....................................................................... 10

2008....................................................................... 10

2003....................................................................... 10

2001....................................................................... 10

2000....................................................................... 10

Stuxnet................................................................... 11

Night Dragon.......................................................... 11

Shamoon/Disttrack................................................ 12

Spear phishing attacks in the energy sector

New Year

s campaign............................................. 14

Greek oil campaign................................................. 14

Motivation and origin................................................... 16

Protection and mitigation............................................ 16

Conclusion.................................................................... 19

Appendix...................................................................... 21

A. Spear phishing .................................................. 21

B. Visualization with TRIAGE.................................. 24

C. Phases of targeted attacks................................ 25

Resources..................................................................... 28

OVERVIEW

The energy sector has become a major focus for targeted attacks and is now among the top

five most targeted sectors worldwide. Companies in the sector are facing a growing risk

of having their services interrupted or losing data. The threat to energy firms is only likely

to increase in the coming years as new developments, such as further extensions of smart

grids and smart metering expose more infrastructure to the Internet. Equipment that is

not connected to the Internet and other networks is not immune to threats and there has

already been a number of successful attacks against isolated systems. Operators of critical

infrastructure, as well as energy utility companies, need to be aware of these threats and

prepare accordingly.

The threat to energy firms comes from several different sources. In some cases, espionage

from competitors is the primary motive, with data on new projects, exploration and finances

being targeted. Disruption and destruction are the goals of other attacks. Some instances

appear to be state sponsored, such as the disruption of the Iranian nuclear program by

the Stuxnet worm in 2010, one of the attacks that began this trend. Others appear to

be the work of hacktivists with political or environmental agendas. Internal attackers,

like disgruntled employees, are also a major source of attacks that often lead to service

disruption. The majority of the actors behind these attacks have grown more sophisticated

in the way they attack.

During the monitoring period from July 2012 to June 2013, we observed an average of 74

targeted attacks per day globally. Of these, nine attacks per day targeted the energy sector.

Accounting for 16.3 percent of all attacks, the energy sector was the second most targeted

vertical in the last six months of 2012, with only the government/public sector exceeding it

with 25.4 percent of all attacks. The high ranking was mainly due to a major attack against

a global oil company, which we observed in September 2012. However, in the first half of

2013 the energy sector continued to attract a high proportion of attacks, ranking in fifth

place with 7.6 percent of targeted attacks.

Not all of the attacks analyzed used highly sophisticated tools. Most of them could have

been prevented by following best practice guidelines for protecting the IT infrastructure and

the industrial components, indicating that despite high revenues and strategic importance,

many energy sector companies are not prioritizing cybersecurity.

INTRODUCTION

Many power

utilities companies

fear disruptive

attacks the most,

regardless of

whether it is done

by internal or

external attackers.

Targeted Attacks Against the Energy Sector

Introduction

The number of targeted cyberattacks in general has risen in the past few years. In addition to this, the rate of

attack exposure has also risen, with more companies becoming aware of attacks, expecting them and searching

for indications of compromise. It is not a new phenomenon, but its importance has grown. The Council on

Foreign Relations, a US think tank, reported that energy companies, including oil and gas producers, were often

the focus of targeted attacks during summer 2012. In May 2013 the US Department of Homeland Security

(DHS) warned of an increase in sabotage attacks against US energy companies located in the Middle East. The

government had tracked multiple attacks and issued a warning together with the Industrial Control Systems

Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT). A report by the US Congress supported this picture, stating that

many power utilities companies were under constant or daily attack through cyberspace. Taking into account

that successful breaches of critical infrastructures are still rare and that these numbers included generic

malware infections, it nevertheless highlights the potential for cyberattacks in the energy sector.

As in most sectors, attackers are often after valuable information. For example, we have seen attackers target

intellectual property such as technology for photovoltaic research and wind turbines, or data on gas field

exploration. Information such as this is of high value and can generate huge profits for attackers or their

sponsors. The same information can also be misused for an act of sabotage. Many power utilities companies fear

disruptive attacks the most, regardless of whether it is done by internal or external attackers. The energy sector