http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2007/dec/12/doe-incinerator-down-as-waste-concerns-go-up/ 

By Frank Munger 
knoxnews.com
December 12, 2007

[...]

---

Following last week's revelations about a computer hacking that 
potentially exposed the personal data of thousands of lab visitors, Oak 
Ridge National Laboratory is saying little about the event and the 
ongoing investigation.

Lab spokesman Billy Stair said he couldn't comment about a report in The 
New York Times that the hacking may have had a link to China. The Times 
referred to a memo from the Department of Homeland Security that 
suggested "phishing" e-mails were sent to ORNL from Web locations with 
links to China, although that didn't necessarily mean the Chinese 
government or any of its citizens were behind the hacking efforts.

Stair also declined comment on what agencies are involved in the 
investigation and wouldn't say if ORNL is collaborating with Los Alamos 
National Laboratory, which experienced a similar event in the same time 
frame.

The "sophisticated" attack tapped into an unclassified database, but it 
would seem unlikely that ORNL was targeted for personal info on 
visitors. Surely, there would be easier places to infiltrate for 
identity theft than a high-security national lab.

The lab has been reluctant to discuss possible motives.

"That's a dangerous area to get into because ultimately we can only 
speculate, and speculation can get you into trouble," Stair said. "The 
prudent thing to do is to focus on keeping people out and not focus on 
why they're trying to get in."

Senior writer Frank Munger may be reached at 342-6329. His e-mail is 
munger (at) knews.com. His blog, Atomic City Underground, is available 
online at http://blogs.knoxnews.com/knx/munger/ 

Copyright 2007, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.


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