The Department of Energy Is Under Attack. Cyber Attack
By: Some Firms Named In Documents
Despite the heavy redactions of the documents, some firm names are visible. For example, on March 21, a network engineer from a firm emails the government asking, “Is there anything we can do to get our IP Address unblocked?” the firm’s name is redacted, but boilerplate legal language at the bottom of the email is not, and appears to show that the email came from EDF Trading Limited. That company did not immediately respond to a call for comment Thursday.
A separate email chain dated from March 11 to March 16, 2011 shows correspondence between the Department of Energy and David DeVoucalla, whose title is given as Infrastructure Demand Manager. The company’s name is redacted. However, a LinkedIn search by CNBC shows a page listing a David DeVoucalla as infrastructure demand manager at Shell Oil in Houston.
In correspondence with the government, DeVoucalla asked “what is the threshold used to define “reasonable number of times per second?” And later, he details a number of steps his company will take to appease the Department of Energy and allow the government to unblock his company’s access to the site. “I would like to visit with you to ensure you have the confidence you need to proceed with unblocking access,” DeVoucalla writes in an email.
In a statement to CNBC, Shell’s senior manager of US Media Relations Bill Tanner wrote “every week, at a time certain, the U.S. Department of Energy releases public information regarding aspects of the Nation’s energy supply. Once released, there is a rush to get the information (via the internet). DoE is responsible for ensuring equal access to the information in a timely manner. Apparently there was a technical issue with the web site in the past, which has since been resolved.”
The Department of Energy’s communications with the private sector themselves appear to be handled largely through an independent contractor, Chenega Government Consulting. That firm, based in Virginia, is a subsidiary of Chenega Corporation, an Alaska Native Corporation owned by the Chenega tribe based in Prince William Sound.
Jonathan Fortt contributed to this article.
