Hackers have launched cyberattacks in the European and North American energy sectors since late 2015, according to a Symantec report.
Here are five things to know.
1. A hacker group called Dragonfly, which has been active since at least 2011, has reportedly re-emerged after two years of silence in what Symantec researchers are labeling the Dragonfly 2.0 campaign.
2. Dragonfly — which is also known by the name Energetic Bear — is an energy sector hacking group which other security companies believe has ties to the Russian government, reports The Hill.
3. Symantec said it has "strong indications" Dragonfly has attempted to attack companies in the U.S., Turkey and Switzerland.
4. The attacks targeted power generation, transmission and distribution companies, Eric Chien, technical director of Symantec's security technology and response division, told The Hill. Companies' networks were infected through email phishing attacks, which tricked employees into clicking links to malicious websites or downloading fake Adobe's Flash media player updates.
5. The Department of Homeland Security is reviewing the Symantec report, although the agency does not believe there is a threat to public safety at this time, according to a separate report by The Hill.
Click here to read the full Symantec report.
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