Intel was attacked at the same time as Google but it denies connection

Intel revealed in a regulatory filing that it had come under cyber-attack in the same time period as the cyber-attack on Google.

The information was in Intel's annual report discussing frequent attempts by hackers to break into its IT systems:

Intel said that it did not lose any intellectual property.

However, it told New York Times reporter Miguel Helft that there was no connection with the attack on Google.

“The only connection between what we saw in January and the attacks on Google is timing,” said Chuck Mulloy, an Intel spokesman.

The New York Times disputed Intel's claim.

...a person familiar with the investigation into the attacks said that Intel was part of the same wave of attacks that affected Google and more than 30 other companies.

Google had claimed that at least 20 US companies had also been attacked by the same type of cyber attack it attributed to Chinese origins. It urged other companies to come forward and discuss those attacks.

Is Intel denying the link with the Google attack because of the China connection? If the two attacks had the same origin it would place Intel in an awkward position in regards to its business activities with China -- especially since Google had strongly criticized China. Intel would be under pressure to follow suit.

BusinessWeek reported that Intel's sales in China accounted for 17 per cent of its $35.1 billion in 2009 revenues.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that talks will soon resume between Google and the Chinese government following a break for the Chinese New Year. Google wants to stop censoring search results in its Chinese search engine.