Victims of hacking stay silent on espionage

HACKERS in China rifled the computers of DuPont at least twice in 2009 and 2010, hunting for the secrets that made the company one of the world's most successful chemical makers.

But investors would have learned nothing on the subject from DuPont's regulatory filings, or from those of other companies victimised by hackers. The documents DuPont submitted to the US Securities and Exchange Commission over the period don't identify hacking as even a significant risk, much less reveal what two US intelligence officials later said was a successful case of industrial espionage.

It is an issue that has raised concerns inside Australia's biggest company, BHP Billiton, as cyber spies from China, Russia and other countries ransack the computer networks of major companies.