The FBI has reportedly been dealing with a malicious hacking attempt on its systems. It’s still unclear just which systems were compromised and for how long.
CNN first reported Friday morning that the FBI is investigating a kind of “cyber incident” that hit one of its computer networks. According to unnamed sources “briefed on the matter,” the agency has recently been investigating and working to contain the supposed hack attempt.
The report has scant details regarding how big the attempted hack was or how widespread the impact could have been, but the anonymous sources reportedly said the incident involved the FBI computer system used to investigate child sexual abuse material. The sources also said the hack had somehow involved the FBI’s New York field office.
In an email statement, the agency told Gizmodo that it is “aware of the incident and is working to gain additional information.” The FBI further said the “isolated incident” was “contained” and there is an ongoing investigation into the matter. We also reached out to both the New York field office but we did not immediately hear back.
This isn’t the first time the FBI’s computers were compromised. Back in 2021, hackers broke into the agency’s email portal and used it to spam fake cybersecurity alerts to around 100,000 inboxes. The portal acted as a way for the FBI to share cyber threats with state and local law enforcement. It forced the FBI to take the system offline until it could root out the issue.
On Thursday, the U.S. Justice Department announced they had created a “strike force” to hit foreign actors who try to steal U.S. tech secrets through hacking attacks. The anti-hacking hack squad involves the FBI and will contain offices in 12 cities around the U.S.
FBI Director Christopher Wray’s office is going to be involved in a hack-back squad with the rest of the Department of Justice, but first it must root out how its own systems may have been compromised. Photo: Drew Angerer (Getty Images)
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