FBI investigates major breach of wiretap surveillance network

The FBI has described the breach of the networks it uses for wiretaps and other surveillance work as a “major incident,” signalling the severity of an intrusion that prompted the agency to launch a criminal probe and move to strengthen cybersecurity. An inquiry into abnormal activity on the compromised network was opened on Feb. 17, according to the notice to Congress from the Justice Department that was reviewed by Bloomberg News.

The affected system contains sensitive law enforcement information, including data from electronic surveillance and personal identification information on subjects of bureau investigations, according to the notice. The agency has not yet revealed the scope of the breach or who might be responsible, but officials described the attack as “sophisticated,” noting that the threat actor’s techniques include leveraging a commercial Internet Service Provider vendor’s infrastructure to exploit FBI network security controls. Read more at MSN.