"U.S. Justice Department Probing Cyber Breach of Federal Court Records System"

The U.S. Justice Department is currently investigating a recent cyber breach involving the federal court records management system.  The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts in January 2021 stated that it was adding new security procedures to protect confidential or sealed records following an apparent compromise of its electronic case management and filing system.  The federal judiciary in January 2021 said that vulnerabilities had been identified due to the breach that risked compromising highly sensitive non-public documents stored with the courts.  Matt Olsen, head of the Justice Department's National Security Division, said he could not speak "directly to the nature of the ongoing investigation." But he noted his division was focused on the risk of cyber attacks by foreign nations like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.  Olsen stated that this recent cyber breach is a significant concern given the nature of the information that the courts often hold.  The judiciary has been working to modernize its electronic case management and filing system and the related online portal known as PACER, which is used to access records, citing the risk of cyber attacks on the aging electronic system.

Reuters reports: "U.S. Justice Department Probing Cyber Breach of Federal Court Records System"