U.S. Energy Department hit by major cyber-attack

PanARMENIAN.Net - The U.S. Energy Department has been hit by a major cyber-attack, which resulted in the personal information of several hundred employees being compromised and could have been aimed at obtaining other sensitive information, FoxNews reported.

FBI agents are investigating the attacks, which happened two weeks ago, at the Washington-based headquarters. Fourteen computer servers and 20 workstations reportedly were penetrated during the attack.

The Energy Department is in the process of notifying employees whose information was stolen.

While no classified information was compromised, there are indications the hackers could have been seeking access to such data.

The department includes the National Nuclear Security Administration, which maintains nuclear weapons.

"It's a continuing story of negligence," former Energy Department security official Ed McCallum told The Washington Free Beacon, explaining that the department continues to have security problems despite controlling some of the most "sophisticated military and intelligence technology the country owns."

He said China, as well as Iran, have been after Energy Department secrets. Several groups and agencies have warned about stepped-up cyber activities out of China.

"China continues to develop its capabilities in the cyber arena," the U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission said in a November 2012 report to Congress. "U.S. industry and a range of government and military targets face repeated exploitation attempts by Chinese hackers as do international organizations and nongovernmental groups including Chinese dissident groups, activists, religious organizations, rights groups, and media institutions."

Officials say they're working to plug security holes in the system and are developing ways to prevent a similar cyber attack in the future.