Breach Operation Aurora

Google’s 2009 Breach – Operation Aurora
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Abstract
Cybersecurity is an issue that is of significant concern to all organizations. In the current environment where every organization is dependent on technology on different levels, a security breach is not a case of “if” but rather a case of “when.” After a cyber attack, companies might offer explanations to the public about details on the security breach; this might include reports on exposed data to help affected individuals reduce the impact of the incident from their end. For example, if the credit card details got stolen, the customers might be advised to transfer their money to other safer accounts or change their passwords or pins. Organization disclosing details of security breaches also helps other companies to understand the potential risks associated with the issue; this helps in coming up with methods of improving their security. However, when making such public announcements, it is essential to understand what information to disclose and what to conceal. The report below focusses on how Google handled the 2009 Aurora cyber attack.
Keywords: Google, public, cyberattack.

Google’s 2009 Breach – Operation Aurora
After the 2009 Google security breach, on January 2010, Google, through its chief legal officer David Drummond, went ahead and publicly describe the cyber attack; this made Google the first U.S. based company to disclose information on an intrusion originating from China (Nakashima, 2018). As Google was addressing the attack, a technician from the company made another shocking discovery; Google’s database that had surveillance data dating back years had also been hacked.

The database had information on thousands of orders from law enforcement departments and judges seeking to monitor e-mails belonging to suspects of different crimes. However, the most sensitive order came from the Federal Intelligence Surveillance court that is in charge of approving surveillance procedures on suspected terrorists, agents of other governments, spies, and diplomats; these orders are classified. Google did not publicly disclose this breach but alerted the FBI after detecting it.
Providing public statements on attacks is essential especially for organizations that provide service to the public. However, in some cases, organizations may not reveal the occurrence of security breaches due to fear of damaging their stock value, incurring potential legal liabilities, or possibly scaring potential and existing customers (Javers, 2013). Making reports on breaches is inevitable in situations where the relevant data protection legislation requires the affected parties to be notified or cases where data from the customers gets compromised. It is essential to provide announcements in a timely, honest and accurate manner. Google did the right thing by informing the affected parties about the attacks. However, in regards to making a public announcement, Google should have provided a statement immediately rather than doing it weeks later; this helps people take action as soon as possible. Though public reports after attacks are vital, it is also essential to understand what to share and what not to.

References
Javers, E. (2013). Cyber attacks: Why Companies Keep Quiet. CNBC. Retrieved from https://www.cnbc.com/id/100491610Nakashima, E. (2018). Chinese hackers who breached Google gained access to sensitive data, U.S. officials say. The Washington Post. Available at: HYPERLINK “https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/chinese-hackers-who-breached-google-gained-access-to-sensitive-data-us-officials-say/2013/05/20/51330428-be34-11e2-89c9-3be8095fe767_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.118c77f18c29” https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/chinese-hackers-who-breached-google-gained-access-to-sensitive-data-us-officials-say/2013/05/20/51330428-be34-11e2-89c9-3be8095fe767_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.118c77f18c29