Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (June 6, 2015)
NATION/WORLD Saturday, June 6, 2015 Giant hack may be ¿UVWVWHSLQSXUVXLW of bigger U.S. secrets Associated Press WASHINGTON — A giant hack of millions of JRYHUQPHQW SHUVRQQHO ¿OHV is being treated as the work of foreign spies who could use the information to fake their way into more-secure computers and plunder U.S. secrets. Federal employees were told in a video Friday to change all their passwords, put fraud alerts on their credit reports and watch for attempts by foreign intel- ligence services to exploit them. That message came from Dan Payne, a senior FRXQWHULQWHOOLJHQFH RI¿FLDO for the Director of National Intelligence. “Some of you may think that you are not of interest because you don’t have DFFHVV WR FODVVL¿HG LQIRU- mation,” he said. “You are mistaken.” )HGHUDO RI¿FLDOV VDLG Friday the cyberattack appeared to have originated in China, but they didn’t SRLQW ¿QJHUV GLUHFWO\ DW the Chinese government. The Chinese said any such accusation would be “irre- VSRQVLEOHDQGXQVFLHQWL¿F´ “We know that the attack occurred from somewhere in China, but we don’t know whether it was an individual or a group or a nation-state attack,” said Rep. Jim Langevin, a Rhode Island Democrat and leading voice in Congress on cybersecurity. He added, though that it had “all the hallmarks of a nation- state attack.” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said he couldn’t divulge much while the case was under investigation. Still, he noted that investigators “are aware of the threat that is emanating from China.” 2QH 86 RI¿FLDO VDLG the breach of data involving more than 4 million past and present federal workers was being investigated as a national security matter. That suggests authorities believe a nation was behind it rather than a more loosely organized gang of cyber- FULPLQDOV 7KH RI¿FLDO ZDV not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke only on condition of anonymity. The breach was an embar- rassing showing for the U.S. government’s vaunted computer-defense system for civilian agencies — dubbed “Einstein” — which is costing $376 million this year alone. It’s supposed to GHWHFWXQXVXDO,QWHUQHWWUDI¿F WKDW PLJKW UHÀHFW KDFNLQJ attempts or stolen data being transmitted outside the government. A wide range of infor- mation is prized by spies ²FODVVL¿HGPLOLWDU\VHFUHWV but also economic strategy and internal foreign policy debates. This latest breach occurred in December but wasn’t discovered until $SULO RI¿FLDOV VD\ ,W ZDV made public Thursday. ‘’The scale of it is just staggering,” said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., top Demo- crat on the House Intelli- gence Committee. There’s no telling how many more attacks could be spawned by the information stolen in this case, he said. Although most Americans think of identity thieves stealing from credit card or bank accounts, the informa- tion about civilian federal workers has other value for spies. “They’re able to identify people who are in positions ZLWK DFFHVV WR VLJQL¿FDQW national security information and can use personal data to target those individuals,” said Payne, the counterintel- OLJHQFHRI¿FLDO He said details from SHUVRQQHO¿OHVFRXOGEHXVHG to craft personalized phony messages to trick workers. Federal employees who think they’re opening an email from co-workers or family members might infect their computers with a program that steals information. East Oregonian Fake orca nearly drowns before it can scare Astoria sea lions PORTLAND (AP) — When a 32-foot replica killer whale buzzed through the water to scare off hundreds of sea lions piled on Oregon docks, onlookers cheered. And then the dummy orca went belly-up. 7KH PRWRUL]HG ¿EHUJODVV orca was brought to the seaside town of Astoria on Thursday as a sort of mari- time Clint Eastwood called upon to deal with ne’er-do- wells, in this case sea lions crowding onto docks and PDNLQJ LW GLI¿FXOW IRU ORFDOV to access their boats. %XWWKHRUFD¶V¿UVWGD\RQ WKHMREZDVDÀRS About 1,000 people cheered as the dummy whale — with its human operator inside — took to the water Thursday night. Jim Knight, executive director of the Port of Astoria, said sea lions that were crowded onto the docks became “deathly silent.” But as a cargo ship passed by, the phony orca started to list from the vessel’s wake. And then the bogus orca capsized. “Our crew from the port had to go rescue the operator so he didn’t drown,” Knight said. So what did the sea lions think about this spectacle? “They probably think it’s dead now that it’s belly up,” Knight said. “You can’t make this stuff up.” 7KDW ZDV QRW WKH ¿UVW ¿DVFR IRU WKH GXPP\ RUFD — which has been dubbed “Fake Willy.” The replica whale, loaned by a whale-watching business, was delivered overland on Thursday from Bellingham, Washington. After arrival, the orca’s RXWERDUGPRWRUÀRRGHGDQGD replacement had to be found. Sea lion numbers along the West Coast have grown sharply since they were protected under a 1972 federal law. As water temperatures increase off the coast of California because of climate change, the animals have sought cooler waters to the north in Oregon. The sea Joshua Bessex/EO Media Group John Wifler, the pilot of the fake fiberglass orca, is pulled from the capsized vessel in the Columbia River outside of the East End Mooring Basin on Thursday in Astoria. An effort to use a fake orca to scare off hundreds of sea lions crowding docks off the Oregon coast has ended, at least temporarily, with the fiberglass creature belly-up after it was swamped by a passing ship. “We’re excited and can’t wait for round two. The battle is not over. Willy will be back.” — Jim Knight, executive director of the Port of Astoria back to Bellingham for UHSDLUV DQG WR EH RXW¿WWHG Joshua Bessex/EO Media Group with better controls to make it John Wilfer, the pilot of the fake life-sized orca vessel, looks out from an opening as the whale is moved into more stable in choppy waters. It will be back in August position Thursday in Astoria. when sea lions return to lions that have been taking The Port of Astoria has Astoria en masse for salm- over docks at the Port of tried just about everything on-spawning season, said Astoria are also attracted by to keep the sea lions away Terry Buzzard, who owns the bountiful runs of salmon and — including beach balls, orca contraption. smelt in the nearby Columbia colorful tape, chicken wire Knight, the port’s director, River, biologists say. DQGHOHFWUL¿HGPDWV said it’s unclear whether a While the thousands of 7KHIDNHRUFDZDVRXW¿WWHG fake orca can fool Astoria’s tourists who visit Astoria with recordings of real killer sea lions. But he is not HDFK\HDUPLJKW¿QGWKHVHD whale calls, especially the conceding defeat. The way lions amusing, many locals “call to dinner” — usually Knight looks at it, this whole see them as a nuisance. emitted in the wild after they adventure has drawn atten- 2I¿FLDOV VD\ WKH VHD OLRQV kill a sea lion or seal. tion to Astoria’s problems break docks, poop, smell, The orca capsized before with the sea lions. block access to boats and eat the recording could be tried “We’re excited and can’t WKH ¿VK RQ ZKLFK WKH SRUW¶V out. wait for round two,” Knight ¿VKLQJ LQGXVWU\ DQG WKH On Friday night, the fake said. “The battle is not over. town’s economy depends. orca was on a truck heading Willy will be back.” BRIEFLY Report: Social Security overpaid GLVDELOLW\EHQH¿WV by $17B WASHINGTON (AP) — Social Security overpaid GLVDELOLW\EHQH¿FLDULHVE\ nearly $17 billion over the past decade, a government watchdog said Friday, raising alarms about the massive program just as it approaches the brink of insolvency. Many payments went to people who earned too much money to qualify IRUEHQH¿WVRUWRWKRVHQR longer disabled. Payments also went to people who had died or were in prison. In all, nearly half of the 9 million people receiving disability payments were overpaid, according to the results of a 10-year study by the Social Security Administration’s inspector general. Social Security was able to recoup about $8.1 billion, but it often took years to get the money back, the study said. The trust fund that supports Social Security’s disability program is projected to run out of money late next year, WULJJHULQJDXWRPDWLFEHQH¿W cuts, unless Congress acts. The looming deadline has lawmakers feuding over a solution that may have to come in the heat of a presidential election. Brothers pardoned of 1983 murder RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Two brothers wrongfully imprisoned for three decades in the killing of an 11-year-old girl say pardons will help them move on “with not just a clear conscience, but a clear name.” It will also help them adjust to life on the outside with hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensation. The governor’s action 7KXUVGD\TXDOL¿HGHDFKRI the brothers for $750,000 from the state. Family and friends of Henry McCollum and Leon Brown were jubilant in early September after a judge vacated their convictions and ordered their release, citing new DNA evidence that points to another man in the killing and raping of 11-year-old Sabrina Buie in 1983. But their freedom has EHHQGLI¿FXOW%RWKPHQ spent much of their adult life in prison. When McCollum walked out of death row, he needed help putting on the seatbelt in his father’s car. At the time, he had never owned a cellphone and was unaccustomed to the Internet. Each man was JLYHQE\SULVRQRI¿FLDOV when they left. “I do want to learn how to drive. Because I wasn’t able to do that years ago. But now I have the opportunity to do it,” Brown said. McCollum had been the longest-serving inmate on North Carolina’s death row. His half brother Brown had been serving life in prison. Ex-BP exec not guilty of lying in oil spill NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Friday’s acquittal of a former high-ranking BP executive charged with lying to investigators looking into the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill marked the latest setback for federal prosecutors pursuing criminal charges in the disaster. A federal jury took about WZRKRXUVWR¿QG'DYLG Rainey not guilty of making false statements. Rainey had been tasked, in the days after the Deepwater Horizon explosion, with calculating the amount of oil gushing into the gulf. Page 9A ENERGY COSTS TOO HIGH? TRY LOOKING AT IT IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT. Want to lower your energy costs? When you update lighting and other equipment, you can see the difference instantly and recoup your investment in no time. Talk to a qualified trade ally to learn about Energy Trust of Oregon cash incentives for all kinds of energy-saving solutions. + Get more from your energy. Visit www.energytrust.org/mybusiness or call us at 1.866.368.7878. Serving customers of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural and Cascade Natural Gas.
