Overview

• A Sinaloa Cartel–hired hacker in 2018 used an FBI assistant legal attaché’s number to obtain call logs, geolocation data and live feeds from Mexico City’s CCTV network.
• The compromised intelligence enabled the cartel to identify, intimidate and, in some cases, kill potential informants and cooperating witnesses.
• The Justice Department’s Inspector General disclosed the operation in a late June audit of the FBI’s efforts to counter pervasive technical surveillance.
• The report warns that advances in commercial and government surveillance technologies have lowered barriers for criminal enterprises and less-resourced states to exploit global data systems.
• In response, the FBI is formulating a strategic plan and enhanced training protocols to address the security gaps revealed by the audit.