Morgan Stanley in hacker hit
MORGAN Stanley was the target of a “very sensitive” attack by Chinese hackers, according to a series of leaked emails.
It is understood the firm was targeted by the same hackers that gained access to Google a year ago.
Morgan Stanley is thought to be the first financial institution to be hit by “Operation Aurora” hackers.
Attacks first surfaced in 2009 and have now affected more than 200 companies.
It is not clear what information the hackers could have stolen and Morgan Stanley declined to elaborate on the attacks.
A spokesman for Morgan Stanley said: “At the time of the incident over a year ago, Morgan Stanley notified the handful of retail clients who may have been potentially affected by the security breach, as well as its regulators and law enforcement agencies.
“Morgan Stanley invests significantly in IT Security and manages a robust programme to deal with malware and attempted computer compromises. Like any other company in our industry, we deal with these matters in the normal course of conducting business.”
The details emerged after a second attack on computer security firm HBGary, which is contracted by the bank. HBGary’s emails were hacked by a group called Anonymous, which posted conversations about the Aurora hack online.
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The attack on Morgan Stanley occurred a year ago but only came to light this week.
At least 200 firms are understood to have been hacked by Chinese hackers, dubbed “Operation Aurora” by security firm McAfee.