Overview

• Internal memos released on August 7 revealed that persistent cyber threat actors compromised sealed dockets, indictments, arrest warrants and confidential informant identities on CM/ECF and PACER.
• Investigators have discovered signs that Russia is at least partly responsible for the months-long intrusion, though precise attribution remains unresolved and other actors have not been excluded.
• Chief Judge Margo K. Brodie and others have banned new sealed filings on the electronic systems and directed courts to store sensitive case materials offline.
• The breach, traced back as far as 2021, exposed longstanding vulnerabilities in the legacy IT platforms used by federal courts.
• The DOJ, FBI and DHS are leading ongoing probes and Congress has requested classified briefings to assess the full scope and national security implications.