Latest news with #JamieTarabay
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Business Standard
3 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Russian hackers lurked in US courts for years, stole sealed files
By Jake Bleiberg and Jamie Tarabay Russian government hackers lurked in the records system of the US courts for years and stole sensitive documents that judges had ordered sealed from public view, according to two people familiar with the matter and a report seen by Bloomberg News. The attackers had access to what was supposed to be protected information for multiple years, the report on the breach shows. They gained access by exploiting stolen user credentials and a cybersecurity vulnerability in an outdated server used by the federal judiciary, according to the report, which says the hackers specifically searched for sealed records. The report, which was reviewed in part by Bloomberg, doesn't identify the attackers. But investigators found evidence that they were a Russian state-sponsored hacking group, according to the people, who spoke on condition that they not be named because they were not authorized to discuss the matter. It's unclear exactly when the hackers first penetrated the system and when the courts became aware of the breach. Last fall, the judiciary hired a cybersecurity firm to help address it, said one of the people. The attackers' years of access to sealed court records, which hasn't been previously reported, is likely to prompt concerns about how many sensitive cases and investigations may have been compromised. It also raises questions about when the judiciary became aware of the breach and how it responded. Peter Kaplan, a spokesperson for the Administrative Office of the US Courts, declined to comment. The judiciary said in a statement last week that it is taking 'additional steps to strengthen protections for sensitive case documents in response to recent escalated cyberattacks of a sophisticated and persistent nature on its case management system.' The Russian Embassy in Washington didn't respond to an email seeking comment. A Department of Justice spokesperson, Shannon Shevlin, said the agency isn't able to discuss ongoing investigations. The breach is coming to public light as US President Donald Trump is set to meet with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to discuss ending Russia's war in Ukraine. Asked whether he would raise the hack with Putin this week, Trump said he had heard about the breach and could do so. 'That's what they do. They're good at it. We're good at it. We're actually better at it,' the president said. The hackers targeted sealed documents in espionage and other sensitive cases, including ones involving fraud, money laundering and agents of foreign governments, Bloomberg Law reported on Tuesday. Such records often include sensitive information that, in the wrong hands, could be used to compromise criminal and national security investigations, or to identify people who provide information to law enforcement. 'These court records are some of the most valuable documents our government holds, especially for those individuals named in them,' said Jake Braun, who was principal deputy national cyber director at the White House under President Joe Biden. 'Unfortunately, the Judiciary is not funded by Congress adequately to protect the data it holds, and we need to address that immediately.' The court system spent years after a major breach, found in 2020, analyzing its vulnerabilities and developing policy and technology infrastructure fixes, according to a 2023 statement. The US government blamed that intrusion, part of a massive cyberattack that utilized malicious code implanted in software by Texas-based SolarWinds Corp., on Russian hackers. It's unclear if the more recent compromise of the court system is related. Last fall, the courts hired Palo Alto Networks Inc.'s Unit 42 to help it address the recent breach, and the firm completed its work before the end of 2024, according to one of the people. A spokesperson for the Santa Clara, California-based cybersecurity company, Caren Auchman, declined to comment. In May, the courts said they had begun implementing multifactor authentication, which is widely seen as a basic cybersecurity measure, for its records system. In June, Michael Scudder, a federal judge who leads the courts' Committee on Information Technology, told the House Judiciary Committee that underinvestment had until recently left the judiciary's systems 'outdated and vulnerable.' Scudder, reached by phone, referred questions to the court spokesperson. In July, congressional staff, including for the Senate and House judiciary committees, received a briefing on the breach, according to a person familiar with the matter, who said lawmakers have requested a classified follow-up briefing in September. More than a dozen federal courts across the country have updated their procedures for attorneys filing highly sensitive material since June, with some ordering that all sealed records be submitted as hard copies, Bloomberg Law reported. In the Eastern District of New York, for instance, the chief judge last Friday barred sealed documents related to criminal cases from being uploaded to the electronic records filing system.
Bloomberg
30-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Trump, Republicans Rush to Overcome Internal Clashes on One Big Beautiful Bill
By and Jamie Tarabay Save Republican party leaders are rushing to overcome lingering internal fights over President Donald Trump's massive tax and spending package as Democrats launch attacks to exploit the divisions. Senate Republicans were still at odds Monday over how much to cut Medicaid and other social safety-net programs and how rapidly to end Biden-era clean energy tax breaks as Democrats gained the chance Monday to force votes on amendments to the package.
Bloomberg
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
How China Is Building a Powerful Army of Hackers
Never miss an episode. Follow The Big Take Asia podcast today. Teams from China used to dominate international hacking competitions, until Beijing ordered them to stop attending and take part only in domestic tournaments. On today's Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha talks to Bloomberg's Jamie Tarabay about how tournaments are helping boost China's cyber-espionage capabilities and what that means for the world.
Bloomberg
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Big Take Asia: China Is Building an Army of Hackers
Teams from China used to dominate international hacking competitions, until Beijing ordered them to stop attending and take part only in domestic tournaments. On today's Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha talks to Bloomberg's Jamie Tarabay about how tournaments are helping boost China's cyber-espionage capabilities and what that means for the world.
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Business Standard
12-06-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
US to withdraw some embassy staff from Middle East as tensions rise
By Jamie Tarabay and Tony Capaccio The US ordered some staff to depart the embassy in Baghdad and authorized military service members' families to leave the Middle East, officials said, after Iran threatened to attack US bases if talks over its nuclear program fall through. The decision to reduce staffing in Iraq was 'based on our latest analysis,' according to the State Department. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized family members of US military stationed across the region to leave, according to a Pentagon statement. Neither statement cited a specific threat but the New York Post published an interview in which President Donald Trump said he's growing less confident about the prospects for negotiations to impose new limits on Iran's nuclear program. Iran, meanwhile, warned of retaliation against US military assets in the Middle East if the talks collapse and the Islamic Republic is attacked. 'I sincerely hope it won't come to that and that the talks reach a resolution,' Iran's Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said in televised remarks. 'But if they don't, and conflict is imposed on us, the other side will undoubtedly suffer greater losses. We will target all US bases in host countries without hesitation.' US officials have been told that Israel is ready to launch an operation into Iran, which is part of the reason why the Trump administration advised some Americans to leave the region, CBS News reported on Wednesday evening, citing multiple sources it did not name. The initial report did not offer a time frame for any operation. West Texas Intermediate futures surged as much as 5.2 per cent after Reuters reported earlier that the US embassy was preparing for an ordered departure in response to heightened security risks in the region. Iraq is the second-largest OPEC producer. Earlier in the day, the UK Navy issued a rare warning to mariners that higher tensions in the Middle East could affect shipping, including through the Strait of Hormuz. Shipping has often been risky in the Middle East, but UKMTO, which acts as a liaison between the navy and commercial shipping, rarely puts out general warnings such as this one. 'UKMTO has been made aware of increased tensions within the region which could lead to an escalation of military activity having a direct impact on mariners,' the advisory said. 'Vessels are advised to transit the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman and Straits of Hormuz with caution.' The Joint Maritime Information Center, an information sharing hub that comes under the Combined Maritime Forces, warned of heightened risks from the discord, including the possible use of missiles around chokepoints. Hegseth's move applies to family of service members stationed across the US Central Command area of operation, which includes most of the region, according to the statement. 'Centcom is working in close coordination with our Department of State counterparts, as well as our Allies and partners in the region to maintain a constant state of readiness to support any number of missions around the world at any time,' the Pentagon said. Tehran says it is preparing a fresh proposal regarding its atomic activities before a sixth round in Muscat, the Omani capital, on Sunday. That 'can be used as a basis for work,' Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said on Tuesday, suggesting Iran is considering a temporary deal that acts as a framework while technical details — many of them highly complex — are worked on. Trump has consistently said he wants an agreement that curbs Iran's atomic activities and that the US could strike Iran if the talks break down. Israel — which believes a nuclear-armed Iran would pose an existential threat — says it could attack Tehran, with or without US help. Iran has long denied having plans to build a nuclear weapon.
