DOE computers hacked; info on 1,500 taken

at least we know who's responsible for blowing up the world when we do it...
If only someone would find out the good stuff, and really see what kind of bombs Bush is making... maybe then people will wake up...

Ah what am I thinking... this is amerika... fucking bomb everything... we're the best in the world...kill everyone else right?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060610/...doe_file_theft

WASHINGTON - A hacker stole a file containing the names and
Social Security numbers of 1,500 people working for the Energy Department's nuclear weapons agency.

But in the incident last September, somewhat similar to recent problems at the Veterans Affairs Department, senior officials were informed only two days ago, officials told a congressional hearing Friday. None of the victims was notified, they said.

The data theft occurred in a computer system at a service center belonging to the National Nuclear Security Administration in Albuquerque, N.M. The file contained information about contract workers throughout the agency's nuclear weapons complex, a department spokesman said.

NNSA Administrator Linton Brooks told a House hearing that he learned of the security breach late last September, but did not inform Energy Secretary
Samuel Bodman about it. It had occurred earlier that month.

Brooks blamed a misunderstanding for the failure to inform either Bodman or Deputy Energy Secretary Clay Sell about the security breach. Brooks' NNSA is a semiautonomous agency within the department and he said he assumed DOE's counterintelligence office would have briefed the two senior officials.

"That's hogwash," Rep. Joe Barton (news, bio, voting record), chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, told Brooks. "You report directly to the secretary. You meet with him or the deputy every day. ... You had a major breach of your own security and yet you didn't inform the secretary."

Bodman first learned of the theft two days ago, according to his spokesman, Craig Stevens.

"He's deeply disturbed by the way this was handled," Stevens said.

Barton, R-Texas, called for Brooks' resignation because of his failure to inform Bodman and other senior DOE officials of the security failure.

The House Energy and Commerce oversight and investigations subcommittee learned of the security lapse late Thursday, on the eve of its hearing on DOE cyber security, said Rep. Ed Whitfield, R-Ky., chairman of the panel.

The issue dominated lawmakers' questioning of DOE officials at the hearing. After an open session, the subcommittee continued questioning Brooks and other officials about it at a closed session because of the security implications.

Although the compromised data file was in the NNSA's unclassified computer system â?? and not part of a more secure classified network that contains nuclear weapons data â?? the DOE officials would provide only scant information about the incident during the public hearing.

Brooks said the file contained names, Social Security numbers, date-of-birth information, a code where the employees worked and codes showing their security clearances. A majority of the individuals worked for contractors and the list was compiled as part of their security clearance processing, he said.

Well that should prove to our enemies how lax our security really is it seems..all the technology to steal incognito available at our fingertips but yet people keep saying America is like the nazis..this should prove them wrong. I wish President Bush would learn the meaning of that saying The buck stops here...to bad hackers don't use their gift for good...and hi Gumby!! I was concerned about you..I missed your post.

Im totally confused about this, to me it makes no sense to have this type of information even accessable via the web.

Yes I do understand that they need to be able to access the databank, but WTF, have they never heard of closed systems?

Maybe it was done thru employee's access points or something, who knows, but if thats the case, then they need to go back to offices and waiting in line to conduct bussiness. And ditch the online systems allowing their employee's access to this stuff via the web.

Then of course, this could also have been conducted by someone within the GOV with an agenda to highten security. Basically to show how its weak and needs some drastic change with a negative impact on our personal freedoms.

Not to say that we are a free country to begin with tho.

Free enough that most have access to a computer..and the time it takes to hack..hackers are thieves we just don't have the pleasure of meeting them sometimes.

I dont know man, im not really upto par in hacker tactics, so how they got in and what they plan to do with the information is way beyond me. Whether the country is free enough to have a PC and have the time to hack something still doesnt excuse them from haveing this information so accessable to begin with.

And yes, the illusion of freedom is very strong, but this country is not the shineing example of freedom that it used to be, and maybe never will be again.

When GOV agencies are allowed to tap communications, detain anyone for any amount of time with no trial, search citizens at transportation hubs, and deem anyone a terrorist for not agreeing with their policies, I'd say thats not freedom at all. Sounds more like Pre-war Iraq, Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia.

Just because you or I havent been targeted, doesnt mean we wont be.

Targeted for what? How many lattes I drink a day?:)