Prepare for #OpPetrol Targeting Gas and Oil

On June 20, Anonymous will launch the #OpPetrol campaign against international gas and oil companies. It was announced on May 11, shortly after the campaign called #OpUSA began.

These types of organized attacks are often similar, as we have seen in previous operations, and may include:

  • Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks
  • Hacking and defacing social media accounts or posting fake messages
  • Hacking and defacing organization websites or stealing information and posting it as "proof" of breach
  • Hacking organization servers and attempting sabotage, such as planting disk wiping malware

There are various ways attackers may target these organizations, including using tools like the LOIC (Low Orbit Ion Cannon) or phishing emails to trick recipients into revealing account login details.

Symantec advises organizations to be prepared for attacks in the coming days.

Organizations should monitor for unusual activities in their networks, particularly any attempts to breach the perimeters. Staff members should be specifically trained on social engineering mitigation tactics along with regular security awareness training. As always, we continue to stress the importance implementing a multi-layered approach to defense.

These recommendations apply to all organizations as best practices that should be carried out regularly as most attackers do not provide warnings in advance to targets.