Sieged Security, which describes itself as a group of “gay furry hackers,” recently infiltrated a leading U.S. nuclear-research facility and obtained sensitive personal data.
The group claimed responsibility for the attack in statements on public forums. “Meow meow meow meow meow meow meow,” the group wrote. The hackers added that “we’ve successfully gained access to Idaho National Laboratory” and that “we’ve accessed hundreds of thousands of user, employee and citizen data,” including full names, dates of birth, addresses, and social security numbers.
Idaho National Laboratory (INL) spokesperson Lori McNamara confirmed the breach, stating that it is being investigated and federal law enforcement is involved.
“Earlier this morning, Idaho National Laboratory determined that it was the target of a cybersecurity data breach, affecting the servers supporting its Oracle HCM system, which supports its Human Resources applications. INL has taken immediate action to protect employee data,” McNamara said on November 20. “INL has been in touch with federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security’s Cyber Security and Infrastructure Security Agency to investigate the extent of data impacted in this incident.”
The INL is one of 17 national labs in the U.S. Department of Energy complex and employs more than 6,100 people who focus on “nuclear research, renewable energy systems, and security solutions.”
“We’re willing to make a deal with INL. If they research creating IRL [in real life] catgirls, we will take down this post,” the hackers wrote. A “catgirl” generally refers to a young, breasted female animated character with feline traits, like cat ears or a tail.
“Many people ask ‘why?’ for INL breach. We are cats, intricacies such as ‘why’ do not concern us,” the group wrote on social media.
The hacking group Sieged Security claims that it has hacked NATO twice this year and released sensitive documents. NATO confirmed that it is “facing persistent cyber threats” and has implemented “additional cyber security measures.”