Australian Particle Accelerator Hacked, Passwords & Email Addresses Stolen

The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization (ANSTO) was hit by hackers who stole scientists’ usernames and passwords. According to The Register, hackers hit systems hosting the web portal that is used by researchers from ANSTO, as well as third parties and got away with usernames, email addresses, and some scrambled passwords. An email sent to users of the Australian Synchrotron User Portal indicates the breach took place on January 27, but there is no mention of how the hackers got it. Users are advised to change their passwords. The email further states that immediate action was taken to address the vulnerability and there’s a security review of the Australian Synchrotron User Portal underway, with no mention as to why it took nearly a week to inform everyone of the situation. Given how often people reuse their emails and passwords on other platforms, the delay p...