In July 2012, Anonymous said it had targeted ExxonMobil as part of Op SaveTheArctic, an operation framed as opposition to Arctic oil development. The group claimed to have leaked 316 email addresses and hashed passwords, but SecurityWeek reported that it could not confirm a breach. The operation’s reported target list also included Shell Petrochemical, BP Global, Gazprom and Rosneft.
Which companies did Anonymous name?
SecurityWeek’s Steve Ragan reported on July 2, 2012 that Op SaveTheArctic named five companies: ExxonMobil, Shell Petrochemical, BP Global, Gazprom and Rosneft. The headline’s focus on ExxonMobil, Shell and BP therefore covers only three names on the reported list.
Anonymous framed the operation around environmental concerns and opposition to Arctic oil development. Ragan said the targeting of ExxonMobil took place the prior week and continued into the weekend.
Did Anonymous hack ExxonMobil?
Anonymous claimed it had taken data from a cracked ExxonMobil database and leaked 316 email addresses and hashed passwords. It also said it used the passwords to sign petitions opposing Arctic operations. The number and account details were allegations by Anonymous, not a confirmed tally of compromised accounts: SecurityWeek said it could not confirm the breach, and an ExxonMobil spokesperson declined to comment on security-related inquiries.
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SecurityWeek assessed that the data was unlikely to have come from ExxonMobil’s main email system and suggested it might instead have come from a smaller web server holding limited user data. That was the report’s assessment, not a verified technical finding.
What did the operation’s Arctic message claim?
An Anonymous statement reproduced by SecurityWeek said: “The energy companies that caused the Arctic to melt in the first place are looking to profit from the disappearing ice. They want to open up a new oil frontier to get at a potential 90 billion barrels of oil. That’s a lot of money to them, but it’s only three years’ worth of oil to the world,”
The figures in that statement—the “potential 90 billion barrels” and the comparison with three years of world oil use—were Anonymous’s claims as quoted in 2012. SecurityWeek’s report did not independently document them, and it did not identify an individual speaker for the statement.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Was this the first of several attacks?
SecurityWeek described Op SaveTheArctic as a three-phase operation and identified the ExxonMobil action as phase one. The report said there had been no other publicized attacks at the time. It does not establish whether later phases were carried out.
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