FBI is investigating breach that may have hit its wiretapping tools
The FBI is investigating a breach of its systems which reportedly affected systems related to wiretapping and surveillance.
“The FBI identified and addressed suspicious activities on FBI networks, and we have leveraged all technical capabilities to respond,” a spokesperson told us via email last Friday. “We have nothing additional to provide.”
The bureau’s remarks follow an earlier CNN report that cited a source familiar with the investigation and who told the outlet that the digital intrusions are related to the network that the agency uses to manage wiretapping and foreign intelligence surveillance warrants.
And while the FBI declined to provide any additional information, it’s worth noting that China’s Salt Typhoon previously compromised wiretapping systems used by law enforcement.
Salt Typhoon is the PRC-backed crew that famously hacked major US telecommunications firms and stole information belonging to nearly every American.
Related Knowledge Center: Digital privacy and data security
If you’re online, you’re generating a constant stream of information about yourself — sometimes voluntarily, sometimes unwittingly — that is assembled and used to craft your online experience. And generate wealth for data brokers. Meanwhile, designers and managers of the digital infrastructure on which the world depends are engaged in a never-ending effort to thwart attempts, by both criminal enterprises and state actors, to exploit vulnerabilities in those systems.
Signalgate | State surveillance