Data from the Five Eyes alliance and government agencies were publicly available.
The US State Department launched an investigation after hackers announced the publication of documents allegedly stolen from a government contractor.
A group of hackers claims to have hacked Acuity, a technology consulting firm with nearly 400 employees and annual revenue of more than $100 million. Acuity provides DevSecOps, IT operations modernization, cybersecurity, data analytics, and operations support services for federal customers in the national security field.
A State Department official confirmed that the agency is aware of the cybercriminal's claims and is currently investigating the incident. For security reasons, the State Department cannot provide details on the nature and scope of the leak.
A cybercriminal known as IntelBroker claims that the stolen files contain secret data from the Five Eyes intelligence alliance. According to the hacker, the data leak contains the full names, email addresses, office and personal phone numbers of government, military and Pentagon employees. IntelBroker also posted screenshots of some of the documents, but did not disclose the method used to get them.
Posting on a forum on the darknet
The Cybernews research team examined the data sample and concluded that while it may contain some sensitive data, the scale of the leak is exaggerated. For example, the database from which information was allegedly stolen suggests that the data may be test data.
"The dump itself is strange, because it has some formatting issues that are incompatible with SQL, meaning it cannot be restored to a local database to facilitate analysis," the experts said.
According to Cybernews, the information in the dump is already several years old, and the latest entries date back to 2016. The database contains 650 unique email addresses, including emails with errors.
The hack was allegedly carried out by three intruders, one of whom is known as IntelBroker. The sample of data that the hackers attached to the message presumably includes notes that resemble the communication format used by embassies. Other purported documents discuss various State-supported operations and programs. However, due to the alleged secrecy of the documents, it is not possible to verify the accuracy of the information.
Representatives of the NSA and Acuity were not available at the time of seeking comment, and CISA declined to comment.
IntelBroker is best known for hacking the insurance company DC Health Link, which led to congressional hearings after it disclosed the personal data of members and employees of the US House of Representatives. Another case related to IntelBroker is the hacking of General Electric, in which the hacker stole information about DARPA's military projects, including SQL files, technical documents and strategic reports. Facebook Marketplace, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) are also victims of the hacker.
The US State Department launched an investigation after hackers announced the publication of documents allegedly stolen from a government contractor.
A group of hackers claims to have hacked Acuity, a technology consulting firm with nearly 400 employees and annual revenue of more than $100 million. Acuity provides DevSecOps, IT operations modernization, cybersecurity, data analytics, and operations support services for federal customers in the national security field.
A State Department official confirmed that the agency is aware of the cybercriminal's claims and is currently investigating the incident. For security reasons, the State Department cannot provide details on the nature and scope of the leak.
A cybercriminal known as IntelBroker claims that the stolen files contain secret data from the Five Eyes intelligence alliance. According to the hacker, the data leak contains the full names, email addresses, office and personal phone numbers of government, military and Pentagon employees. IntelBroker also posted screenshots of some of the documents, but did not disclose the method used to get them.
Posting on a forum on the darknet
The Cybernews research team examined the data sample and concluded that while it may contain some sensitive data, the scale of the leak is exaggerated. For example, the database from which information was allegedly stolen suggests that the data may be test data.
"The dump itself is strange, because it has some formatting issues that are incompatible with SQL, meaning it cannot be restored to a local database to facilitate analysis," the experts said.
According to Cybernews, the information in the dump is already several years old, and the latest entries date back to 2016. The database contains 650 unique email addresses, including emails with errors.
The hack was allegedly carried out by three intruders, one of whom is known as IntelBroker. The sample of data that the hackers attached to the message presumably includes notes that resemble the communication format used by embassies. Other purported documents discuss various State-supported operations and programs. However, due to the alleged secrecy of the documents, it is not possible to verify the accuracy of the information.
Representatives of the NSA and Acuity were not available at the time of seeking comment, and CISA declined to comment.
IntelBroker is best known for hacking the insurance company DC Health Link, which led to congressional hearings after it disclosed the personal data of members and employees of the US House of Representatives. Another case related to IntelBroker is the hacking of General Electric, in which the hacker stole information about DARPA's military projects, including SQL files, technical documents and strategic reports. Facebook Marketplace, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) are also victims of the hacker.
