Canada warns operators of cyber threat

Threat: oil sands producers could be in the crosshairs of hacker group Anonymous

Canadian security agencies have warned energy companies such as Imperial Oil that their computers may be attacked by the Anonymous hacker group because of the industry’s work developing Alberta’s oil sands, according to a report.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, public safety department and Communications Security Establishment Canada all investigated threats against the industry between the start of 2011 and mid-March, according to documents obtained this month by Bloomberg News under freedom of information laws.

The RCMP conducted a threat assessment after the hacker group that calls itself Anonymous issued a press release in July 2011 accusing oil-sands companies of being greedy and harming the environment.

“The Canadian law enforcement and security intelligence community have noted a growing radicalised environmentalist faction who is opposed to Canada’s energy…

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