In 2023, a significant breach occurred when an unidentified foreign hacker accessed the FBI's New York field office, targeting files related to the investigation of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. This incident exploited vulnerabilities in a server at the Child Exploitation Forensic Lab, which had been left unprotected due to oversight by an FBI special agent involved in the case.
According to court documents, the hacker accessed specific files associated with the Epstein investigation. The FBI has stated that their investigation into the breach continues, emphasizing that they contained the affected network swiftly and deemed the incident isolated. They also restricted access to the hacker and have since rectified the network vulnerabilities.
Notably, the hacker was reportedly unaware that they had infiltrated the FBI until agents engaged them in a video call to confirm their identity. Following this event, the hacker's name was removed from the Black Hat cyber conference website.