Intel Cops to January Attack in Filing

A regulatory filing from Intel notes that the company was attacked alongside a number of other large tech players in January, underscoring the comments of security experts who say we're no longer living in the age of "hackers working out of a basement."

Intel on Tuesday acknowledged that it, too, was the victim of a "sophisticated" cyber attack in January, right around the time Google, Adobe Systems, and more than two dozen other U.S.-based companies were infiltrated by hackers using a zero-day vulnerability in Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser as part of what has become known as "Operation Aurora."

In its annual report filed with Securities and Exchange Commission, Intel said that "one recent and sophisticated 'cyber attack' incident occurred in January 2010 around the same time as the recently publicized security incident reported by Google."

Intel officials said the January attack didn't result in the loss of any intellectual property or damage to its network and wasn't as "broad-based" as the attack described by Google, Adobe, and others.

"These attempts, which might be the result of industrial or other espionage, or actions by hackers seeking to harm the company, its products, or end users, are sometimes successful," the company said in its 10-K filing. "We seek to detect and investigate these security incidents and to prevent their recurrence, but in some cases we might be unaware of an incident or its magnitude and effects."

Read "Intel Hit By Cyber Attack" at eSecurity Planet