While Google called a cyber-attack against its network last January a "highly
sophisticated and targeted attack," security experts said the techniques show
the attackers to be nothing more than "amateurs."
According to a report that cybersecurity firm Damballa released Tuesday, the
China-based "Aurora" hackers who targeted Google were more varied in their
tactics and less advanced than early reports indicate.
The report could be a blow to Google's efforts to classify the attack as
state-sponsored, giving it considerably less leverage as it attempts to
negotiate with China about its continued operations in the country.
