Senate’s Wyden Probes Use of Forged Legal Requests by Hackers
(Bloomberg) -- U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat from Oregon, has requested information from technology companies and government agencies to learn about the abuse of emergency data requests by hackers to obtain users' personal information.
Bloomberg News reported Wednesday that Apple Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc. had provided information in response to forged emergency data requests sent by hackers who used the email systems of compromised law enforcement agencies. Wyden, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, called reports of the forged requests an “enormous threat to Americans' safety and national security.”
“I'm particularly troubled by the prospect that forged emergency orders may be coming from compromised foreign law enforcement agencies, and then used to target vulnerable individuals,” Wyden said in a statement. “No one wants tech companies to refuse legitimate emergency requests when someone's safety is at stake, but the current system has clear weaknesses that need to be addressed.”
Read More: Apple, Meta gave data to hackers who forged legal requests
Law enforcement agencies routinely seek information on users from technology companies as part of investigations, and normally such requests require an order signed by a judge. However, emergency data requests are intended to be used in instances of imminent danger and don't require a judge's signature.
The hackers obtained the information by compromising law enforcement systems and using what appeared to be legitimate credentials, according to people familiar with the investigation.
The pilfered information was used to enable harassment campaigns and may be primarily used as part of financial fraud operations, the people said.
©2022 Bloomberg L.P.
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