Environmental groups may have been targeted by Exxon lobbyists in hack-and-leak operations

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A group that lobbied on behalf of Exxon Mobil has been implicated in a hack-and-leak campaign
The campaign targeted environmental groups critical of the oil and gas industry
Accounts were broken into and emails leaked to stop investigations and lawsuits against Exxon progressing

A report by Reuters has claimed a group lobbying on behalf of energy giant Exxon Mobil is allegedly being investigated for its targeted hack-and-leak operations against critics of the oil industry.

The report stated critics were targeted in a prolonged campaign between 2015 and 2018 which saw over 500 email accounts hit by attacks that were in an apparent effort to stifle investigations and lawsuits being filed against Exxon Mobil.

Now, two Democratic senators and numerous environmental groups are calling for an investigation into the hacking and for greater accountability to be levied against Exxon Mobil for its potential involvement.

Greater oversight

In response to the report, Exxon Mobil denied having any involvement in the attacks, further stating, “if there was any hacking involved, we condemn it in the strongest possible terms.”

The report stated the DCI Group, who was working on behalf of Exxon Mobil at the time, was investigated by the FBI for hacking into oil industry critics and leaking their emails to the press. DCI responded to the report in a statement saying the company “has not been involved in nor commissioned others to hack or to obtain information unlawfully.”

Groups named as victims in the report include the Center for International Environmental Law and The Union of Concerned Scientists, alongside several other environmental organizations such as Oil Change International, SKD Knickerbocker, and Earthworks.

Senate Budget Chairman Sheldon Whitehouse voiced his concern at the implications in the Reuters report stating that the Department of Justice, who have not yet commented on the allegations, should “take a good, long look at Exxon and its fellow fossil fuel flunkies.”

Senate Finance Chairman Ron Wyden echoed these concerns, emphasizing that cyberespionage “threatens the very core of America's democracy and fundamentally undermines our justice system.”

Via Reuters

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Benedict has been writing about security issues for over 7 years, first focusing on geopolitics and international relations while at the University of Buckingham. During this time he studied BA Politics with Journalism, for which he received a second-class honours (upper division), then continuing his studies at a postgraduate level, achieving a distinction in MA Security, Intelligence and Diplomacy. Upon joining TechRadar Pro as a Staff Writer, Benedict transitioned his focus towards cybersecurity, exploring state-sponsored threat actors, malware, social engineering, and national security. Benedict is also an expert on B2B security products, including firewalls, antivirus, endpoint security, and password management.