Hacker helped kill FBI sources witnesses in El Chapo case according to watchdog report CyberScoop
pVoting is open for the 2025 CyberScoop 50 awardspp
By
Tim Starks
pp
June 28 2025
ppA hacker working on behalf of the Sinaloa drug cartel infiltrated cameras and phones to track an FBI official in Mexico investigating the drug lord El Chapo then used data from that surveillance to kill and intimidate potential sources and witnesses the agent was meeting with a Justice Department watchdog report revealedppAn FBI case agent learned about the hacker from someone affiliated with the cartel in 2018 according to the inspector general report released FridayppThat individual said the cartel had hired a hacker who offered a menu of services related to exploiting mobile phones and other electronic devices the report states According to the individual the hacker had observed people going in and out of the United States Embassy in Mexico City and identified people of interest for the cartel including the FBI Assistant Legal Attache ALA T and then was able to use the ALA Ts mobile phone number to obtain calls made and received as well as geolocation data associated with the ALATs phoneppAccording to the FBI the hacker also used Mexico Citys camera system to follow the ALAT through the city and identify people the ALAT met with the report continues According to the case agent the cartel used that information to intimidate and in some instances kill potential sources or cooperating witnessesppThe revelations mark the second time in a week that if accurate a hacker was shown to contribute to someones death A patient died in the United Kingdom after a cyberattack delayed blood test results across hospitals there according to a National Health Service review as first reported by the Health Services JournalppThe FBI referred a request for comment on the inspector general report Saturday to the Department of Justice which did not immediately respond El Chapo the nickname for Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera is currently serving a life sentence in a US prison for 26 drugrelated violations and one murder conspiracyppThe overall report assessed how effectively the FBI has protected sensitive investigations in a world of ubiquitous technical surveillance UTS ranging from physical surveillance to surveillance of phones or financial records The FBI had formed a red team to address the threatppWe do not believe that the initial effort of the Red Team to identify the specific enterprisewide risks was adequate potentially leaving several UTSrelated threats unmitigated the report concludes We are particularly concerned that the Red Teams recent threat mitigation efforts did not adequately consider existing FBI efforts to mitigate the UTS threat and that it did not include a sufficient longterm vision for how the FBI will approach the evolving UTS threat after its initial action items are addressedppMuch of the FBIs response to the draft report is redacted But it says that FBI efforts have been multifaceted and involved many components of the enterprise working separately and in collaboration including with other US government agencies facing similar threats We nevertheless agree that to better understand the threat posed by changing operational technologies an enterprisewide assessment of threats posed by operational technology is warrantedppIt also agreed with a recommendation to train FBI personnel on the nature of the threat posed by ubiquitous surveillancep
By
Tim Starks
pp
June 28 2025
ppA hacker working on behalf of the Sinaloa drug cartel infiltrated cameras and phones to track an FBI official in Mexico investigating the drug lord El Chapo then used data from that surveillance to kill and intimidate potential sources and witnesses the agent was meeting with a Justice Department watchdog report revealedppAn FBI case agent learned about the hacker from someone affiliated with the cartel in 2018 according to the inspector general report released FridayppThat individual said the cartel had hired a hacker who offered a menu of services related to exploiting mobile phones and other electronic devices the report states According to the individual the hacker had observed people going in and out of the United States Embassy in Mexico City and identified people of interest for the cartel including the FBI Assistant Legal Attache ALA T and then was able to use the ALA Ts mobile phone number to obtain calls made and received as well as geolocation data associated with the ALATs phoneppAccording to the FBI the hacker also used Mexico Citys camera system to follow the ALAT through the city and identify people the ALAT met with the report continues According to the case agent the cartel used that information to intimidate and in some instances kill potential sources or cooperating witnessesppThe revelations mark the second time in a week that if accurate a hacker was shown to contribute to someones death A patient died in the United Kingdom after a cyberattack delayed blood test results across hospitals there according to a National Health Service review as first reported by the Health Services JournalppThe FBI referred a request for comment on the inspector general report Saturday to the Department of Justice which did not immediately respond El Chapo the nickname for Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera is currently serving a life sentence in a US prison for 26 drugrelated violations and one murder conspiracyppThe overall report assessed how effectively the FBI has protected sensitive investigations in a world of ubiquitous technical surveillance UTS ranging from physical surveillance to surveillance of phones or financial records The FBI had formed a red team to address the threatppWe do not believe that the initial effort of the Red Team to identify the specific enterprisewide risks was adequate potentially leaving several UTSrelated threats unmitigated the report concludes We are particularly concerned that the Red Teams recent threat mitigation efforts did not adequately consider existing FBI efforts to mitigate the UTS threat and that it did not include a sufficient longterm vision for how the FBI will approach the evolving UTS threat after its initial action items are addressedppMuch of the FBIs response to the draft report is redacted But it says that FBI efforts have been multifaceted and involved many components of the enterprise working separately and in collaboration including with other US government agencies facing similar threats We nevertheless agree that to better understand the threat posed by changing operational technologies an enterprisewide assessment of threats posed by operational technology is warrantedppIt also agreed with a recommendation to train FBI personnel on the nature of the threat posed by ubiquitous surveillancep
