US State Department Investigating Hacking Claims

A hacker with a history of spilling sensitive information allegedly stole documents from a Department of State contractor supplying information technology and operations support services to federal agencies.

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A State spokesperson in a Wednesday statement confirmed the agency is investigating claims of a cyber incident after the hacker known as IntelBroker leaked a trove of documents allegedly belonging to the government contractor Acuity.

“The Department is aware of claims that a cyber incident has occurred and is currently investigating,” the statement says. The department declined to provide details on the nature and scope of the claim, citing security reasons.

IntelBroker on Tuesday posted a message on a hacking forum claiming they leaked compromised data from the government, military and Pentagon, including “classified information and communications” between U.S. officials and global intelligence-sharing networks.

“Today, I am releasing the documents belonging to the Five Eyes Intelligence Group,” the message says, as first reported by Bleeping Computer. “This data was obtained by breaching into Acuity Inc, a company that works directly with the US Government and its allies.”

The threat actor in the past launched hacking campaigns against a major health insurance marketplace, a national grocery delivery service and a division of General Electric that works on collaborative initiatives with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (see: Apparent GE Hack Raises National Security Concerns).

Acuity, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment, is a Virginia-based national security contractor that “enables mission continuity and stability for government and enterprise organizations,” according to its website. The company reportedly has over $100 million in annual revenue and approximately 400 employees.