Epstein Case Files Compromised by Hackers: Reuters

In 2023, foreign hackers gained access to files from the FBI related to the investigation of financier Jeffrey Epstein. This was reported by Reuters, citing sources and documents from the U.S. Department of Justice.

According to the agency, the incident occurred on February 12, 2023, at a digital forensics laboratory in New York that specializes in child crime investigations. An FBI employee mistakenly left the server's external access open after working with digital evidence, resulting in a vulnerability in the system.

The following day, staff discovered a message regarding a potential network breach. During the investigation, unauthorized access traces were recorded, and some files related to the Epstein case were viewed. It is still unclear which specific materials were opened and if they were downloaded.

The FBI has classified the incident as an “isolated cyberattack,” stating that hacker access was swiftly blocked and system operations were restored. According to a source, the hacker initially did not realize that they had accessed a law enforcement server and even threatened to report their findings to the FBI due to images related to child abuse discovered on the device.