The Wiretap: A Mexican Cartel Hacker Spied On The FBI And Its Informants

Published 1 day ago• 3 minute read

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(Photo by RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)

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Back in 2018, the learned of a .

A Justice Department report released last week reveals that while the FBI was working on the infamous “El Chapo” drug trafficking case, a tipster told the agency that its . Though the method of attack wasn’t revealed, an investigation found the hacker had obtained call and location data from the attache’s phone and surveillance video Mexico City's camera system. “According to the case agent, the or cooperating witnesses,” the report read.

As disturbing as it is, the report isn’t all that surprising. Mexico’s narcotics . They are known to use cryptocurrencies for money laundering and. their hacking capabilities are well known. In 2023, Vice News reported that cartels had been using the same intelligence and security software used by the government to locate and disappear people. Back in 2015, the publication reported that cartels had employed hacker crews to set up a secure network for bosses and underlings to use.

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The DOJ has announced charges against 11 individuals in a , believed to be one of the biggest crimes of its kind. The government alleged the group, which was and other Eastern European countries, submitted billions of dollars in false healthcare claims using personal data stolen from more than 1 million Americans.

Multiple airlines in the U.S. and Canada have been targeted by a group of hackers going by the name . It’s the and insurance companies earlier this year,

British national has been identified as man behind the “” moniker and charged with helping to steal data from over 40 organizations to offer it for sale for $2 million. The DOJ said he and unnamed co-conspirators were . West was arrested in France and the U.S. is seeking his extradition.

, the , the and the put out a joint alert on Monday, warning about the . “Defense industrial base companies, particularly those possessing holdings or relationships with Israeli research and defense firms, are at increased risk,” CISA wrote.

Iranian-linked hackers told Reuters they have a including White House chief of staff , adviser and , the former porn star who accused Trump of making a hush money payment over a sexual encounter they had.

The said on Monday it had been the . Details were thin on the ground, but the war crimes court said it had “detected a new, sophisticated and targeted cyber security incident, which has now been contained.”

has raised as it looks to expand its cyber business that tries to simplify the job of chief security officers by bringing security products like firewalls and gateways into one platform that’s run on a global private network. Cofounded and led by longtime cybersecurity entrepreneur Shlomo Kramer, it’s now valued at $4.8 billion.

U.S. national Zhenxing “Danny” Wang has been indicted for allegedly running a scheme to help remote North Korean IT workers infiltrate U.S. tech companies. The DOJ said the workers fraudulently made $5 million for the North Korean regime. Previously, reports had indicated such schemes have been used to help fund the country’s nuclear program.