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Like manyother well-known organizations, we face cyber attacks of varyingdegrees on a regular basis. In mid-December, we detected a highlysophisticated and targeted attack on our corporate infrastructureoriginating from China that resulted in the theft of intellectualproperty from Google. However, it soon became clear that what at firstappeared to be solely a security incident--albeit a significantone--was something quite different.
First, this attack was not just on Google. As part of ourinvestigation we have discovered that at least twenty other largecompanies from a wide range of businesses--including the Internet,finance, technology, media and chemical sectors--have been similarlytargeted. We are currently in the process of notifying those companies,and we are also working with the relevant U.S. authorities.
Second, we have evidence to suggest that a primary goal of theattackers was accessing the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rightsactivists. Based on our investigation to date we believe their attackdid not achieve that objective. Only two Gmail accounts appear to havebeen accessed, and that activity was limited to account information(such as the date the account was created) and subject line, ratherthan the content of emails themselves.
Third, as part of this investigation but independent of the attackon Google, we have discovered that the accounts of dozens of U.S.-,China- and Europe-based Gmail users who are advocates of human rightsin China appear to have been routinely accessed by third parties. Theseaccounts have not been accessed through any security breach at Google,but most likely via phishing scams or malware placed on the users'computers.
We have already used information gained from this attack to makeinfrastructure and architectural improvements that enhance security forGoogle and for our users. In terms of individual users, we would advisepeople to deploy reputable anti-virus and anti-spyware programs ontheir computers, to install patches for their operating systems and toupdate their web browsers. Always be cautious when clicking on linksappearing in instant messages and emails, or when asked to sharepersonal information like passwords online. You can read more hereabout our cyber-security recommendations. People wanting to learn moreabout these kinds of attacks can read this U.S. government report(PDF), Nart Villeneuve's blog and this presentation on the GhostNetspying incident.
We have taken the unusual step of sharing information about theseattacks with a broad audience not just because of the security andhuman rights implications of what we have unearthed, but also becausethis information goes to the heart of a much bigger global debate aboutfreedom of speech. In the last two decades, China's economic reformprograms and its citizens' entrepreneurial flair have lifted hundredsof millions of Chinese people out of poverty. Indeed, this great nationis at the heart of much economic progress and development in the worldtoday.
We launched Google.cn in January 2006 in the belief that thebenefits of increased access to information for people in China and amore open Internet outweighed our discomfort in agreeing to censor someresults. At the time we made clear that "we will carefully monitorconditions in China, including new laws and other restrictions on ourservices. If we determine that we are unable to achieve the objectivesoutlined we will not hesitate to reconsider our approach to China."
These attacks and the surveillance they have uncovered--combinedwith the attempts over the past year to further limit free speech onthe web--have led us to conclude that we should review the feasibilityof our business operations in China. We have decided we are no longerwilling to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over thenext few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government thebasis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within thelaw, if at all. We recognize that this may well mean having to shutdown Google.cn, and potentially our offices in China.
The decision to review our business operations in China has beenincredibly hard, and we know that it will have potentially far-reachingconsequences. We want to make clear that this move was driven by ourexecutives in the United States, without the knowledge or involvementof our employees in China who have worked incredibly hard to makeGoogle.cn the success it is today. We are committed to workingresponsibly to resolve the very difficult issues raised.
Posted by David Drummond, SVP, Corporate Development and Chief Legal Officer
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