US courts putting in safeguards after case management system hacked, exposing sensitive intel

Transcript

N STUDIO WITH MORE LIZ REVEALED THE NAMES OF THE NAMES OF WITNESSES, CLASSIFIED INFORMATION AND EVIDENCE. >> ALL OF THAT IS PART OF SENSITIVE INFORMATION THAT MAY NOW BE EXPOSED AFTER THE FEDERAL COURT SYSTEM WAS COMPROMISED TONIGHT, THE FEDERAL JUDICIARY SAYS IT'S NOW WORKING TO BOLSTER ITS SYSTEM AFTER A CYBERATTACK WHEN THE YOUNGEST SON OF DRUG KINGPIN EL CHAPO AGREED TO COOPERATE WITH FEDERAL PROSECUTORS IN CHICAGO LAST MONTH, THE HIGH STAKES DEAL OPENED THE DOOR TO A CHANCE AT A CASH OF INTEL AND WITNESSES NOW IT'S THAT KIND OF INFORMATION THAT EXPERTS WORRY COULD BE EXPOSED AND IN THE HANDS OF BAD ACTORS, THEY COULD GET THE IDENTITIES OF CONFIDENTIAL INFORMANTS, THEY COULD SEE THE CONTENTS OF SEARCH WARRANTS BEFORE THE SEARCHES HAVE BEEN EXECUTED. >> THEY COULD GET A LOOK AT SEALED INDICTMENTS BEFORE THE INDICTMENTS HAVE BEEN UNSEALED. THE U.S. COURT SYSTEM NOW ACKNOWLEDGES THEIR CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM HAS BEEN COMPROMISED IN WHAT IT CALLS CYBER ATTACKS OF A SOPHISTIC AND PERSISTENT NATURE.

>> FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR AND ABC SEVEN CHIEF LEGAL ANALYST GIL SOFFER SAYS THE HACK IS ALARMING. >> IF I'M A DEFENSE ATTORNEY, REPRESENT A CONFIDENTIAL INFORMANT, YOU BET I'M WORRIED. UH, I'M WORRIED BECAUSE IF THAT PERSON'S IDENTITY IS DISCLOSED AND THAT PERSON IS ENDANGERED, THAT'S MY GREATEST WORRY. >> IN A STATEMENT, THE U.S. COURT SYSTEM SAID THE VAST MAJORITY OF DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE JUDICIARY'S ELECTRONIC CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ARE NOT CONFIDENTIAL AND READILY AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC, BUT ADMITTED SOME FILINGS CONTAIN CONFIDENTIAL OR PROPRIETARY INFORMATION TO BETTER PROTECT THEM.

COURTS HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTING MORE RIGOROUS PROCEDURES TO RESTRICT ACCESS TO SENSITIVE DOCUMENTS UNDER CAREFULLY CONTROLLED AND MONITORED CIRCUMSTANCES. GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS WORRY THAT STOLEN INFORMATION COULD NOW BE IN THE HANDS OF THE VERY PEOPLE IT WAS INTENDED TO TAKE DOWN. >> THEY'RE FIGHTING FOR THEIR SURVIVAL. MEMBERS OF INTERNATIONAL DRUG CARTELS, EITHER DIRECTLY OR THROUGH HIRED HELP. >> JACK RILEY SPENT A CAREER AT THE DRUG ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.

>> DON'T THINK FOR ONE MINUTE THOSE RESOURCES DON'T, UH, ALLOW THEM TO HIRE SOME VERY TALENTED HACKERS. UH, IF YOU WILL. THEIR ABILITY TO IDENTIFY WITNESSES PRIOR TO TRIAL, UH, IS ALARMING TO ME, AND I DON'T THINK WE'VE SEEN THIS AT THIS SCALE EVER. >> WELL, THE CLERK'S OFFICE FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS, BASED RIGHT HERE IN CHICAGO, WOULD NOT COMMENT FURTHER WHEN THE I-TEAM ASKED WHETHER THE CYBER ATTACK IMPACTS RECORDS FOR CASES HERE OR WHAT MEASURES SPECIFICALLY ARE BEING TAKEN. VULNERABILITIES TO CYBER ATTACKS HAVE BEEN A CONCERN FOR YEARS.

THE U.S. COURT SYSTEM PREVIOUSLY REPORTED A SIMILAR ATTACK IN JANUARY 2021, BUT THERE COULD BE SOME VERY DANGEROUS INFORMATION OUT THERE. >> YEAH, REALLY