Hackers have breached a system within the Federal Bureau of Investigation that is used to manage wiretaps and foreign intelligence surveillance warrants, according to a report published Thursday. The incident is the latest in a series of cyber intrusions targeting U.S. government agencies and major American organizations.
CNN reported the breach citing an anonymous source familiar with the matter.
FBI Confirms Suspicious Network Activity
An FBI spokesperson acknowledged that the agency detected suspicious activity on its networks.
“The FBI identified and addressed suspicious activities on FBI networks, and we have leveraged all technical capabilities to respond,” the spokesperson told TechCrunch.
The bureau declined to provide further details about the scope of the incident or how the intrusion occurred.
Part Of A Broader Pattern Of Cyber Intrusions
The reported breach comes amid a number of cyber incidents affecting U.S. government systems and companies in recent years.
Last year, Chinese hackers gained access to networks belonging to the U.S. Treasury and the National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversees the security of the country’s nuclear weapons stockpile.
Russian hackers also obtained sealed records from the U.S. Courts’ electronic filing system.
Chinese Group Linked To Large-Scale Corporate Breaches
Separately, the Chinese government-linked hacking group known as Salt Typhoon has compromised networks belonging to at least 200 U.S. companies, according to the FBI.
Several telecommunications providers have confirmed breaches linked to the campaign. Those companies include AT&T, Verizon, Lumen, Charter Communications, and Windstream.
Investigators have been tracking the activity as part of ongoing efforts to identify how attackers are accessing sensitive systems across government and private-sector networks.
Featured image credits: Flickr
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