FBI wiretap system tapped by hackers

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has identified a suspected incident on a network used to manage wiretaps and foreign intelligence surveillance warrants, CNN reported.

The FBI acknowledged the incident in a statement to CNN, saying, “The FBI identified and addressed suspicious activities on FBI networks, and we have leveraged all technical capabilities to respond.”

The agency is not expanding on its statement but there will be concerns that this an attack prompted by a state agency, such as China. Last year, the bureau and the US Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency warned of continuing attacks by Chinese ransomware group, Ghost, on US organizations.

The FBI has faced questions about the security of its IT systems before. In 2007, a report from the Government Accounting Office, found that the FBI’s infrastructure was less secure than the average company’s  and in 2012, an agent’s laptop was allegedly subjected to a hacker’s attack, leading to claims that one million Apple UDIDs had been stolen.

The bureau will certainly have tightened up procedures since then, although CNN also reported an alleged security breach at the FBI’s field office in February 2023.