Page 24 - ARUBA TODAY

A24 TECHNOLOGY
Friday 21 September 2018

Foreign government hackers target U.S. senators, aides' Gmail

By FRANK BAJAK and RA- hackers the world over, in-
PHAEL SATTER cluding the Russian military
AP Cybersecurity Writers agents accused of leaking
Attempts by foreign gov- the content of Democrats'
ernment hackers to break inboxes ahead of the 2016
into the personal email ac- elections, and personal ac-
counts of U.S. senators and counts have proven to be
their aides persist — yet the the easiest targets.
Senate's security office is Wyden noted that the Of-
refusing to defend them, a fice of the Sergeant at
lawmaker says. Arms , which oversees Sen-
Sen. Ron Wyden, an Or- ate security, had informed
egon Democrat, said in a legislators and staffers that
Wednesday letter to Sen- it has no authority to help
ate leaders that his office secure personal, rather
discovered that "at least than official, accounts.
one major technology "This must change," Wyden
company" has warned an wrote in the letter. "The
unspecified number of sen- November election grows
ators and aides that their ever closer, Russia contin-
personal email accounts ues its attacks on our de-
were "targeted by foreign mocracy, and the Senate
government hackers." simply does not have the
On Thursday, Google luxury of further delays." In this June 28, 2018, file photo, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., ranking member of the Senate Finance
Committee, speaks during a hearing on the nomination of Charles Rettig for Internal Revenue
spokesman Aaron Stein A spokeswoman for the se- Service Commissioner on Capitol Hill in Washington.
confirmed that his compa- curity office said it would Associated Press
ny had notified the Senate have no comment.
targets. Wyden has proposed legis- cyberspying targeted the Tokyo-based cybersecurity aimed at conservative
Neither Stein nor Wyden lation that would allow the Gmail accounts of current firm TrendMicro has report- think tanks in Washington.
provided any indication as security office to offer digi- and former Senate staffers, ed. Such incidents "only scratch
to who might be behind tal protection for personal including Robert Zarate, Microsoft seized some of the surface" of advanced
the attempted break-ins, accounts and devices, the now national security ad- those traps, and in Sep- cyberthreats faced by U.S.
whether they targeted same way it does with offi- viser to Florida Sen. Marco tember 2017 apparently officials in the administra-
lawmakers from both po- cial ones. Rubio, and Jason Thielman, thwarted an attempt to tion and Congress, accord-
litical parties or their timing, The Wyden letter cites chief of staff to Montana steal login credentials of ing to Thomas Rid, a cy-
though a Senate staffer previous Associated Press Sen. Steve Daines, the AP a policy aide to Missouri bersecurity expert at Johns
said they occurred "in the reporting on the Russian found. Sen. Claire McCaskill , the Hopkins University. Rid
last few weeks or months." hacking group known as The same group also spent Daily Beast discovered in made the statement in a
The aide spoke on condi- Fancy Bear and how it the second half of 2017 lay- July. Last month, Microsoft letter to Wyden last week .
tion of anonymity because targeted the personal ac- ing digital traps intended made news again when it "The personal accounts of
he was not authorized to counts of congressional to look like portals where seized several internet do- senators and their staff are
discuss the issue publicly. aides between 2015 and Senate officials enter their mains linked to Fancy Bear, high-value, low-hanging
Email theft is favored by 2016. The group's prolific work email credentials, the including two apparently targets," Rid wrote. q
European nations plan to use

more hydrogen for energy needs

of using existing gas grids large tanks and released emissions under the 2015
to distribute hydrogen pro- again when needed. Paris accord. Miguel Arias
duced with renewable en- Electric vehicles can also Canete told reporters it
ergy. use hydrogen to generate could also contribute to the
The idea of a "hydrogen power on board, allow- continent's energy secu-
economy," where fuels that ing manufacturers to over- rity by reducing imports of
release greenhouse gases come the range restric- natural gas, much of which
are replaced with hydro- tions of existing batteries. currently comes from Rus-
In this Sept. 16, 2018 photo a fuel cell train which is powered by
hydrogen arrives in Bremervoerde, northern Germany. It is one gen, has been around for Hydrogen vehicles can be sia and countries outside
of two trains that will go into regular service in 2019. decades. Yet uptake on refueled in a fraction of the of Europe. Kirsten West-
Associated Press the concept has been time it takes to recharge a phal, an energy expert at
slow so far, compared with battery-powered vehicle. the German Institute for
By FRANK JORDANS countries pledged Tues- some other technologies. On Monday the world's first International and Secu-
Associated Press day to increase research Advocates of hydrogen say commuter train service us- rity Affairs, said encourag-
BERLIN (AP) — Dozens of into hydrogen technology it can solve the problem ing a prototype hydrogen- ing the use of hydrogen
European countries are and accelerate its every- caused by fluctuating sup- powered train began in as a means of storing and
backing a plan to increase day use to power factories, plies of wind, solar, hydro northern Germany. transporting energy makes
the use of hydrogen as an drive cars and heat homes. and other renewable ener- The European Union's top sense, but added the over-
alternative to fossil fuels to The proposal, which was gies. By converting electric- climate and energy offi- all goal for should be re-
cut the continent's carbon included in a non-binding ity generated from those cial said hydrogen could ducing fossil fuels rather
emissions. agreement signed in Linz, sources into hydrogen, the help the bloc meet its ob- than pushing a particular
Energy officials from 25 Austria, includes the idea energy can be stored in ligations to cut carbon energy alternative.q