Overview
- Justice Department documents and a source indicate a Feb. 12, 2023 intrusion into an FBI New York server that included folders tied to the Epstein investigation, discovered the following day.
- The compromised system was part of the Child Exploitation Forensic Lab, according to a timeline written by Special Agent Aaron Spivack included in recently released DOJ files.
- It remains unknown which specific files were accessed or downloaded, who the intruder was, or what was done with any material viewed during the break-in.
- A person familiar with the incident says the hacker was a foreign cybercriminal who appeared unaware they had entered a law enforcement network, expressed disgust at child abuse images, and was shown FBI credentials over a video chat.
- The FBI says the event was contained and the network rectified, while experts and some lawmakers highlight the files’ potential intelligence or blackmail value and press for fuller, less-redacted disclosure.