Cyber-attack on US Department of Energy

According to a report, presented by the inspector general of the US Department of Energy (DOE) on Monday, the department recently fell victim of cyber-attacks. Neither the exact date nor the concrete targets of the attack were disclosed.

The report about a general information security audit for the department for 2011 revealed a considerable and growing range of weaknesses in the DOE’s computer systems. “Continued vigilance is necessary due to the recent department incidents and increased cyber-attacks by both domestic and international sources,” the report said, adding that the DOE’s computer systems are “routinely threatened with sophisticated cyber attacks.” This observation contains particular explosiveness as the DOE manages dozens of agencies, regional offices and laboratories, among others the US nuclear weapon stockpile. Although it remains unclear whether the National Nuclear Security Administration itself was directly hit by the cyber-attack, defensive reactions of members of this agency to the report indicate this might have been the case.

The SDA recently launched a cyber-security initiative, featuring EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström in an evening debate on November 9th 2011.