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Hackers Breach Security at 2 US Nuclear Labs

Personal info exposed at Oak Ridge; damage unclear at Los Alamos

By Jason Farago,  Newser Staff

Posted Dec 7, 2007 12:05 PM CST

(Newser) – A US nuclear lab has been the target of a coordinated cyberattack that may have exposed the personal information of thousands of visitors, reports ABC News. Hackers broke into the nonclassified part of the computer system at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a research facility in Tennessee, and made over 1,000 attempts to steal data. The attack seems to be part of a coordinated effort against labs across the country.

Last month the nuclear facility at Los Alamos was the subject of a similar attack, although whether hackers succeeded in gaining access to that system has not been confirmed, TechWorld reports. Oak Ridge hosts more than 3,000 guest scientists a year. Hackers broke in following a month's worth of "phishing" e-mails containing hazardous attachments.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Thom Mason, right, shakes hands with U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2007 at the lab's Spallation Neutron Source facility in Oak Ridge, Tenn., after announcing that it is now the world's most powerful accelerator-based neutron research facility. Also pictured are...
Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Thom Mason, right, shakes hands with U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2007 at the lab's Spallation Neutron Source facility in Oak Ridge,...   (Associated Press)
A panoramic view of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Researchers at the lab were the targets of a recent e-mail phishing campaign and may have unknowingly provided the senders with visitor logs and other confidential information.
A panoramic view of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Researchers at the lab were the targets of a recent e-mail "phishing" campaign and may have unknowingly provided the senders with visitor logs and...   (Public Domain)
US President George W. Bush looks at material and equipment surrendered by Libya during a tour of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in this 2004 file photo. (TIM SLOAN/AFP/Getty Images)
US President George W. Bush looks at material and equipment surrendered by Libya during a tour of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in this 2004 file photo. (TIM SLOAN/AFP/Getty Images)   (Getty Images)
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