Investigators have uncovered evidence that Russia is at least in part responsible for a recent hack of the computer system that manages federal court documents, the New York Times reported Tuesday, citing several people briefed on the breach.
Sources briefed on the matter told The New York Times that the hackers targeted highly sensitive, sealed records, including documents that could reveal confidential sources and details of national security prosecutions. The multiyear infiltration has renewed fears about the vulnerability of a sprawling electronic records network long seen as a prime target for foreign adversaries.An internal Justice Department memo warned that “persistent and sophisticated cyber threat actors” had compromised sealed records, prompting officials to move the most sensitive files off the compromised system. The breach reportedly affected at least eight district courts, with targeted cases including some tied to individuals with Russian and Eastern European connections.Last month, chief judges nationwide were quietly instructed to remove certain high-risk cases from the courts’ Case Management/Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF) system, which is linked to the public PACER database. In New York’s Eastern District, Chief Judge Margo K. Brodie ordered sealed filings to be stored on a separate drive, completely outside PACER.It remains unclear whether the hackers were directly tied to Russian intelligence or were part of a broader network that included other foreign actors. However, former federal law enforcement officials told the Times that Russia was also behind a similar breach disclosed in 2021.The disclosure comes just days before President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska to discuss his effort to end the war in Ukraine.Court administrators and Justice Department officials have been aware of weaknesses in the electronic filing system for years. Following the 2021 hack, prosecutors in sensitive cases were told to hand-deliver certain filings, particularly in the Southern District of New York. Judges traveling abroad were even issued burner phones and new email accounts to protect communications.Despite new security measures such as multifactor authentication, foreign adversaries have continued probing the system. In 2022, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., claimed that the network had been breached by three foreign entities as far back as 2020.For now, federal investigators are racing to identify exactly what information may have been stolen — and whether that intelligence is already in the hands of America’s geopolitical rivals.
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