Energy Department Receives Ransom Request from Cyber Hackers

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The US Department of Energy received a ransom request from Russian-linked hackers known as Clop after two of its entities fell victim to a wide-ranging cyberattack.Oak Ridge Associated Universities, which manages a contract with several of the department’s national laboratories, and the National Nuclear Security Administration, the agency arm that maintains the US nuclear stockpile, received the request, but didn’t respond, said Pam Bonee, a spokeswoman for Oak Ridge. The request didn’t specify a dollar amount, she added.

Another ransom request was received by another Energy Department arm affected by the hack, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant that stores nuclear waste underground in Carlsbad, New Mexico, Reuters reported.

The Clop gang, also known as Cl0p, has used a variety of methods to extort payments, including deploying ransomware and threatening to post stolen documents online. Shell Plc, IAG SA’s British Airways, the British Broadcasting Corp. are among those that have been targeted.

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The Energy Department didn’t respond to requests for comment.

A department spokesperson confirmed Thursday that records from two of the agency’s “entities were compromised” in the hack, though the extent of the breach wasn’t made public.

Multiple US agencies were compromised by a hacking campaign in which attackers exploited flaws in a popular software tool to gather information from a range of victims.