Hackers attacked Public Access to Court Electronic Records, also known as Pacer, the online court file system used by the federal government.
Politico said the hackers exposed court data in several states and may have leaked confidential informants’ identities who were part of criminal cases in federal district courts.
The publication learned of the hack from two people who had knowledge but were not authorized to speak about it.
When asked for comment, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts would not comment. The FBI referred to the Department of Justice, which did not reply to Politico’s request.
It is not known who is behind the attack and it is not fully known how extensive the hack was, Politico reported.
This is not the first time someone has infiltrated the Pacer system.
In 2021, there was a breach that led the court administration to add new security procedures, Reuters reported. Then-House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler said, “three hostile foreign actors” had gotten into the system in a “startling breadth and scope.”
Earlier this year, U.S. Circuit Judge Amy St. Eve told lawmakers that the courts’ IT systems are vulnerable because of underinvestment over the years.
“Many of them are no longer up to date with modern development standards or security protocols, leaving them expensive to operate, difficult to maintain, and at regular risk of either operational failure or compromising security breaches,” she said, according to Reuters.
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