FBI investigates breach of surveillance and wiretap systems

Source: Bleeping Computer

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) confirmed on Thursday that it is investigating a breach that affected systems used to manage surveillance and wiretap warrants. While the agency declined to share details about the incident’s scope and overall impact, it said the issue has already been addressed.

“The FBI identified and addressed suspicious activities on FBI networks, and we have leveraged all technical capabilities to respond.” – FBI statement to BleepingComputer

The breach was first reported by CNN, which cited an anonymous source saying the breach affected FBI systems used to manage wiretapping and foreign intelligence surveillance warrants.

Related incidents

• Salt Typhoon activity – Chinese hackers linked to the state‑backed threat group Salt Typhoon have also compromised U.S. federal government systems used for court‑authorized network wiretapping requests in 2024. See the report on the AT&T/Verizon breach.

• Telecom network breaches – Salt Typhoon breached the networks of several U.S. telecommunications providers (AT&T, Verizon, Lumen, Charter Communications, Consolidated Communications, Comcast, Digital Realty, and Windstream) and dozens of other countries. Details are available in the White House briefing.

• Access to private communications – While inside the telecom firms’ networks, the hackers gained access to the “private communications” of some U.S. government officials. More information can be found here.

• Previous FBI breaches – In November 2021, the FBI’s email servers were hacked to distribute spam emails impersonating the bureau and warning recipients about fake cyberattacks. See the coverage here.

• February 2023 investigation – The FBI revealed it was investigating malicious cyber activity involving a New York Field Office computer system used to investigate child sexual exploitation. Details are available here.

Update March 06, 07:39 EST: Added FBI statement.