Foreign Hacker Breaches FBI Server in Epstein Probe

A foreign hacker breached a server at the Federal Bureau of Investigation's New York Field Office in February 2023, accessing files related to the bureau's investigation of Jeffrey Epstein, according to recently released Justice Department documents and sources familiar with the matter.

The intrusion occurred on February 12, 2023, targeting a system connected to the FBI's Child Exploitation Forensic Lab, which handles digital evidence in child exploitation cases, including materials from the Epstein probe. The server had been left vulnerable during configuration for remote access by FBI Special Agent Aaron Spivack, who was navigating the bureau's procedures for managing such evidence. The breach was discovered the next day when Spivack logged into his workstation and found a text file warning that the network had been compromised. Logs revealed suspicious internet activity, including the hacker browsing files tied to the Epstein investigation.

In an unusual development, the hacker, who initially did not realize the server belonged to law enforcement, left a message expressing disturbance over child exploitation materials encountered during the breach and threatening to report...