US confirms climate agency websites hacked from inside China

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A U.S. Congressman says hackers from China were able to breach computer systems operated by the federal agency that oversees the National Weather Service and other climate-related programs.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency spokesman Scott Smullen confirmed in a statement Wednesday that four websites were “compromised by an Internet-sourced attack,” forcing the NOAA to perform unscheduled maintenance in recent weeks. He says services have been restored but declined further comment.

U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf, a Republican from Virginia, says in an interview that NOAA officials told him the attack originated in China. He accuses the agency of keeping quiet about the attacks until reporters from the Washington Post began asking about the maintenance.

Wolf chairs a subcommittee that oversees the agency’s budget.