Russian hackers behind large-scale cyberattack on US judicial system – NYT

The American judicial system has suffered a large-scale cyberattack, which is believed to have been carried out by the Russian government.

Source: The New York Times, citing sources

Details: The NYT sources stated that Russia is at least partly responsible for hacking PACER, a database that stores court case materials.

According to the journalists, hackers specifically targeted medium-scale criminal cases in the New York City area and several other jurisdictions. They paid particular attention to cases involving people with Russian and Eastern European surnames.

Politico, a Brussels-based politics and policy news organisation, reported that the hack has likely enabled the attackers to access the identities of confidential informants who assist law enforcement agencies, putting them at risk of retaliation from criminals.

The unauthorisedly accessed materials likely include sealed criminal files, indictments, arrest warrants and other documents that have not yet been made public or were not intended for public access.

The US Court Administration has officially confirmed the cyberattack. An internal letter to the Department of Justice, judges and court staff stated that persistent and sophisticated cyber adversaries had hacked into secure records.

This is not the first time Russian hackers have attacked US judicial structures. In 2020, they hacked into SolarWinds software used by government agencies and large companies, gaining covert access to customer networks, including PACER.

The US court system is now strengthening its cyber defences and implementing additional security measures to prevent new attacks. 

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