Cybercrime
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Fraud Management & Cybercrime
Hacker Reportedly Gained Access to File Containing Testimony Against Matt Gaetz
An unidentified hacker reportedly accessed a file containing testimony from a woman who claims she had sex with Matt Gaetz when she was 17, days after President-elect Donald Trump chose the former congressman to serve as his attorney general.
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The file was circulated among lawyers representing clients who provided testimony against Gaetz, who has faced a criminal investigation and a congressional ethics probe, according to the New York Times. The House Committee on Ethics has not yet indicated whether it will release its report on the allegations against Gaetz, who abruptly left Congress last week.
The file reportedly includes testimonies from the alleged 17-year-old victim as well as a second woman who claimed to have witnessed the encounter that took place in 2017. The documents include unredacted depositions by both the minor and the witness, according to an email obtained by ABC News.
The email states “a person named Altam Beezley downloaded the exhibits” included in the sensitive file, and added that the law firm impacted by the breach was investigating the hacking. The file transfer was hosted by ShareFile, a leading workflow collaboration platform.
ShareFile did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Popular file transfer tools have been repeatedly targeted in recent years, with attackers exploiting secure managed systems on a large scale (see: emailHackers Hit Secure File Transfer Software Again and Again).
House Ethics was set to release its report on allegations against Gaetz, including claims of illicit drug use and sexual misconduct, before he resigned. The committee plans to meet Wednesday amid bipartisan calls from senators to release the report ahead of Gaetz’s confirmation hearings for Attorney General, a move that could influence his potential appointment to the nation’s top law enforcement position.