Malicious hack attacks are on the rise in Russia, up by a factor of twelve from last year, the Interfax news service reports. Most spectacularly, Russian authorities revealed this week that Gazprom, a state-run gas utility, came under the control of malicious hackers last year. Gazprom is the world's largest natural gas producer and Western Europe's largest source. The intruders succeeded in defeating the company's security and breaking into systems controlling gas pipelines, Interior Ministry spokesman Colonel Konstantin Machabeli said. The flow of natural gas was under the control of outsiders for some time, Machabeli reported. The Colonel said the intruders used some type of Trojan to gain access, but didn't name it. The Interfax report did not mention whether anyone has been charged with the crime. ®