Security News

Couple sentenced to prison for trying to sell nuclear warship secrets
2022-11-09 22:39

A Navy nuclear engineer and his wife were sentenced to over 19 years and more than 21 years in prison for attempting to sell nuclear warship design secrets to what they believed was a foreign power agent. While working as a Navy nuclear engineer, Jonathan Toebbe had access to naval nuclear propulsion information, including military-sensitive design elements, performance characteristics, and other restricted data for nuclear-powered warship reactors.

Hacktivists say they stole 100,000 emails from Iran's nuclear energy agency
2022-10-24 02:30

Iran's Atomic Energy Organization has laughed off claims that the email systems of a subsidiary were compromised, revealing important operational data about a nuclear power plant. An activist group that calls itself Black Reward and claims to be from Iran took to Telegram last Friday with claims it had accessed an email server run by a company related to Iran's Atomic Energy Organization and exfiltrated 324 inboxes comprising over 100,000 messages and totalling over 50G of files.

Iranian Hackers Target High-Value Targets in Nuclear Security and Genomic Research
2022-09-13 09:25

Hackers tied to the Iranian government have been targeting individuals specializing in Middle Eastern affairs, nuclear security and genome research as part of a new social engineering campaign designed to hunt for sensitive information. Enterprise security firm attributed the targeted attacks to a threat actor named TA453, which broadly overlaps with cyber activities monitored under the monikers APT42, Charming Kitten, and Phosphorus.

Spanish Police Arrest 2 Nuclear Power Workers for Cyberattacking the Radiation Alert System
2022-07-30 03:40

Spanish law enforcement officials have announced the arrest of two individuals in connection with a cyberattack on the country's radioactivity alert network, which took place between March and June 2021. The act of sabotage is said to have disabled more than one-third of the sensors that are maintained by the Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Emergencies and used to monitor excessive radiation levels across the country.

Nuclear engineer's espionage plans unraveled by undercover FBI agent
2021-10-11 12:00

A Navy nuclear engineer and his wife were arrested under espionage-related charges alleging violations of the Atomic Energy Act after selling restricted nuclear-powered warship design data to a person they believed was a foreign power agent. Jonathan and Diana Toebbe sold the confidential information to an undercover FBI agent.

South Korea’s nuclear research agency breached by North Korea-affiliated cyberattackers, says malware analyst group
2021-06-21 05:33

South Korean officials have admitted that government nuclear think tank Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute was hacked in May 2021 by North Korea's Kimsuky group. Malware analyst group IssueMakersLab said in a report that it detected an attack on KAERI on May 14th. The attack saw incoming heat from 13 internet addresses, of which one was traceable to Kimsuky.

North Korea Exploited VPN Flaw to Hack South's Nuclear Research Institute
2021-06-20 23:35

South Korea's state-run Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute on Friday disclosed that its internal network was infiltrated by suspected attackers operating out of its northern counterpart. KAERI, established in 1959 and situated in the city of Daejeon, is a government-funded research institute that designs and develops nuclear technologies related to reactors, fuel rods, radiation fusion, and nuclear safety.

South Korea's Nuclear Research agency hacked using VPN flaw
2021-06-19 17:59

South Korea's 'Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute' disclosed yesterday that their internal networks were hacked last month by North Korean threat actors using a VPN vulnerability. The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, or KAERI, is the governement-sponsored institute for the research and application of nuclear power in South Korea.

South Korea's Nuclear Research agency breached using VPN flaw
2021-06-19 17:59

South Korea's 'Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute' disclosed yesterday that their internal networks were hacked last month by North Korean threat actors using a VPN vulnerability. The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, or KAERI, is the governement-sponsored institute for the research and application of nuclear power in South Korea.

The latest REvil ransomware victim? Sol Oriens. Oh, a US nuclear weapons contractor
2021-06-15 11:28

The REvil ransomware gang, thought to be behind an attack on meat producer JBS which netted an impressive $11m payoff, has found another victim. Described as a "a small, veteran-owned consulting firm focused on managing advanced technologies and concepts with strong potential for military and space applications," Sol Oriens' links to the US nuclear weapons programme were revealed in a job posting for a "Senior Nuclear Weapons System Subject Matter Expert" on recruitment site Lensa, first spotted by CNBC correspondent Eamon Javers.