The Department of Justice has charged 17 Iranian nationals in a significant cyber theft campaign that targeted American universities and government agencies. Reporter Alexandria Hoff has described how these hackers compromised networks to steal intellectual property since 2013. Officials assert that the United States remains committed to pursuing foreign cyber criminals, regardless of how much time has passed.
In another cybersecurity incident, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) reported an investigation into a potential breach involving a standalone system, classified as a “major incident” by senior Justice Department officials according to federal guidelines. This announcement coincides with claims from the Qilin ransomware group, which identified ATF as a target.
Though Qilin has not provided proof of this claim, and ATF has not conclusively connected the incident to the group, the affected system is separate from ATF’s enterprise network. There have been no indications of broader network disturbance or compromise of ATF’s eForms system or any other systems within the agency.
Following the discovery of the incident, ATF isolated the affected system and initiated forensic and incident-response measures. Coordination with the Justice Department is underway to investigate the breach. The agency has yet to disclose specific details about the affected system, the timing of discovery, or whether any data was compromised.
Cybernews has reported Qilin’s assertion of breaching ATF, although the group has not furnished any supporting evidence. Similarly, GalaxyWarden, a breach-monitoring service, observed ATF on Qilin’s leak site with claims of file acquisition from the agency yet unverified. Fox News Digital sought further clarification from ATF and the Justice Department on Qilin’s involvement, potential data access, and the reasoning behind labeling it as a “major incident.” Notifications required by guidelines have been completed.
ATF confirms that its operations remain intact, with the agency’s mission unaffected by the cybersecurity event. The agency encourages individuals with pertinent information about the incident to contact the ATF Tipline at 1-888-ATF-TIPS.
Brittany Miller, a Fox News Digital breaking news writer and Syracuse University graduate, contributed to this report.