Hacktivists Breach U.S. Nuclear Research Laboratory
The hacker group SiegedSec has claimed responsibility for breaching one of the sixteen national laboratories operated by the U.S. Department of Energy—the Idaho National Laboratory (INL)—and has published stolen data online. Representatives from the laboratory have confirmed that they were the target of a cyberattack.
INL is a major center for nuclear research managed by the U.S. Department of Energy. The facility employs over 5,700 specialists and spans 2,310 square kilometers, housing 50 experimental nuclear reactors—the largest concentration of nuclear reactors in the world.
Currently, INL conducts research in areas such as next-generation nuclear power plants, light-water reactors, cybersecurity for control systems, vehicle testing, bioenergy, robotics, nuclear waste processing, and more.
Details of the Breach
Earlier this week, SiegedSec announced that it had gained access to INL data, including detailed information on “hundreds of thousands” of employees, system users, and ordinary citizens. As with previous breaches (the group has previously claimed responsibility for compromising NATO and Atlassian), the hackers published the stolen data on hacker forums and their Telegram channel, refusing to negotiate with the affected organization or demand a ransom.
Leaked Data
The published data reportedly includes:
- Full names
- Dates of birth
- Email addresses
- Phone numbers
- Social Security Numbers (SSN)
- Physical addresses
- Employment information
On their Telegram channel, SiegedSec also posted proof of the breach, sharing screenshots of tools used within INL to access documents and create notifications. Additionally, the hackers demonstrated the creation of a custom announcement in the INL system, intended to notify all residents of the complex about the breach.
Official Response and Investigation
INL has not yet released an official statement regarding the incident. However, a laboratory spokesperson confirmed the breach to local media, noting that an investigation is underway with the involvement of federal law enforcement agencies.
“Idaho National Laboratory has discovered it was the target of a cyberattack affecting Oracle HCM servers, which support HR applications. INL has taken urgent measures to protect employee data,” the spokesperson told reporters. “We are in contact with federal law enforcement, including the FBI and CISA, to determine the scope of data affected by this incident.”