U.S. Judiciary Confirms Breach of Electronic Court Records System

The U.S. Federal Judiciary has confirmed that it experienced a cyberattack on its electronic case management systems, which host confidential court documents. While the majority of documents in the system are public, certain sealed filings contain sensitive information that is now safeguarded with stricter access controls to prevent unauthorised access. The Judiciary announced that it is taking additional measures to enhance protections for sensitive case documents in response to a rise in sophisticated and persistent cyberattacks targeting its case management system. Furthermore, the agency is prioritising collaboration with courts to mitigate the impact on litigants affected by these attacks.

This announcement follows a report by Politico, which claimed that a breach had occurred within the U.S. Court system’s case management system, potentially exposing sensitive information, including the identities of confidential informants. The breach reportedly affected multiple federal districts and directly impacted the Case Management/Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF) and Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) systems. Although the U.S. Federal Judiciary’s statement does not explicitly confirm a breach of confidential documents on PACER, it strongly suggests that persistent attacks may have compromised sensitive information. The Judiciary’s emphasis on working closely with courts indicates that litigants’ information may have been affected. 

Categories: Cybersecurity Measures, Data Breach Implications, Court System Vulnerabilities 

Tags: Cyberattack, Judiciary, Cybersecurity, Confidential, Documents, Access Controls, Breach, Case Management, PACER, Litigants