Hackers recently attempted to breach the U.S. Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), one of the Department of Energy’s 17 national labs, by exploiting a known vulnerability in Microsoft’s SharePoint software. According to a department spokesperson, the cyberattack was part of a broader campaign tied to an unresolved security flaw Microsoft acknowledged in May. Although a patch was released in June, it failed to fully close the vulnerability, leaving systems exposed to further intrusion.
The Department of Energy confirmed the attackers were swiftly identified and that no sensitive or classified data was accessed during the incident. Fermilab’s servers have since been restored and are operating normally. The laboratory, located near Chicago and founded in 1967, is a key research hub for particle physics in the U.S.
This attack follows a similar breach reported by the Department of Energy on July 18, which affected systems including the National Nuclear Security Administration. That incident also exploited the same SharePoint vulnerability, raising concerns over the potential reach and coordination of the cyber-espionage campaign. Microsoft and the DOE have yet to provide further comment.
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