Cyberattacks on Energy’s National Labs Draw Lawmaker Scrutiny – By Alexandra Kelley (Nextgov) / Feb 2, 2023
The attacks, allegedly conducted by Russian-based adversaries, occurred during August and September 2022, potentially exposing sensitive U.S. scientific research.
In the wake of a series of cyberattacks aimed at three national laboratories that are helmed by the U.S. Department of Energy, House lawmakers are requesting access to relevant documentation about the hacking incidents to investigate their scope and the agency’s current cybersecurity posture.
The attacks were carried out by hacking group known as Cold River, which the lawmakers note has been “implicated” in operations to benefit the Russian government. The hacking tactics employed by Cold River consisted of creating false login pages for the three targeted laboratories and sending them to associated scientists, who were then prompted for password information.
Outlined in a letter sent to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, leadership from the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability and the Committee on Science, Space and Technology cited three separate cyberattacks between August and September 2022 as targeting information related to U.S. national security and scientific competitiveness. The attacks reportedly occurred at the Brookhaven National Laboratory, the Argonne National Laboratory and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
