Files connected to the FBI’s investigation of Jeffrey Epstein were accessed by a foreign hacker after a breach at the bureau’s New York field office in 2023, according to Justice Department documents and a source familiar with the incident.
The intrusion occurred at the FBI’s Child Exploitation Forensic Laboratory in New York, where investigators stored digital evidence related to the case. According to the documents reviewed by Reuters, the hacker gained access to a server containing files tied to the investigation into Epstein, the financier who was convicted of sex offences involving minors and died in 2019.
Officials said the attacker appeared to be an individual cybercriminal rather than a government-backed actor. The hacker reportedly did not initially realize the system belonged to the FBI. After encountering disturbing material stored on the server, the intruder allegedly left a message threatening to report the owner to law enforcement before learning the system belonged to federal authorities.
The breach was discovered in February 2023. Internal documents indicate the server had been left exposed during work involving digital evidence tied to the investigation. The vulnerability allowed the hacker to access files before the issue was detected.
The FBI said the event was treated as a “cyber incident” and described it as isolated. According to the bureau, investigators restricted the attacker’s access and secured the network once the breach was identified.
Authorities have not disclosed which specific files were accessed or whether any information was downloaded. The identity and location of the hacker have also not been publicly confirmed.
The documents referenced in the report were recently released as part of ongoing disclosures related to the Epstein investigation. The U.S. Department of Justice has published large collections of material connected to the case in recent months following legislation requiring the release of remaining records.
Officials said the investigation into the breach remains ongoing. The FBI has not provided additional details about the incident or whether any further security changes were implemented after the intrusion.