UN Atomic Agency Found Malware on Computers

The UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stumbled upon malware in some of its computers in its second IT security incident since last year.

“During the past months, some computers operated by the IAEA have been infected by malware,” said Serge Gas, a spokesperson with the IAEA. “No data from the IAEA network has been affected.”

The malware-infected computers were located at the agency headquarters in Vienna in a place where both staffers and member state officials meet and work.

“Data from a number of Vienna International Center visitors’ USB drives [data memory sticks] is believed to have been compromised,” Gas said in an e-mail, as reported by Reuters. “The [IAEA] secretariat does not believe that the USB devices themselves were infected or that they could spread the malware further. No data from the IAEA network has been affected.”

The agency handles sensitive data related to the nuclear facilities of its member states or their checks on nuclear weapons. It also investigates Iran`s nuclear activities.

The organization suffered a similar incident in 2012 when anti-Israeli hacktivists calling themselves Parastoo breached the IAEA network, stole data and posted it online. The UN agency said no sensitive information on nuclear inspections got into their hands.

In this recent case, the IAEA representative saidall necessary measures were being taken to address the situation.