A hacker trio has allegedly breached Acuity, a tech consulting firm known for its work with national and public safety authorities. The group claims to have leaked federal agents’ data and classified documents, sparking concerns about national security.
The attackers posted the alleged leak on a well-known data leak forum, commonly used by cybercriminals to trade stolen information. According to their claim, they successfully breached Acuity Inc., a contractor for US national security projects.
“We have acquired documents from the Five Eyes Intelligence Group by hacking into Acuity Inc., a company directly involved with the US Government and its allies,” the attackers announced.
Alleged Leak Investigation
In response to the claim, efforts were made to contact Acuity Inc. for a statement, but no immediate response was received. Acuity, based in Virginia, offers specialized tech consulting services to agencies responsible for protecting the nation’s citizens and critical assets.
Cybernews, a research team, analyzed the leaked data and found that while some sensitive information was present, the scale of the leak may be exaggerated. The format of the leaked data suggests it could be test data rather than actual operational data.
“The data dump appears to be outdated, with the latest entries dating back to 2016. The database contains 650 unique email addresses, including some with spelling errors,” the Cybernews researchers stated.
Identity of the Attackers
The alleged breach was reportedly carried out by a group of three attackers, one of whom is identified as IntelBroker. This attacker has a history of targeting high-profile organizations like General Electric, T-Mobile, and Facebook Marketplace.
The leaked information supposedly includes details about employees from the FBI, State Department, Department of Justice, and Department of Homeland Security. Additionally, the documents claim to contain classified information shared among the Five Eyes alliance countries.
Uncertain Legitimacy
The leaked documents include memos that resemble embassy communications, as well as discussions about various operations and state-supported programs. However, due to the sensitive nature of the documents, their authenticity cannot be verified.
The sample of federal employee details in the leak includes full names, email addresses, office numbers, and phone numbers. While some names and email addresses could be matched with existing US employees, it is possible that this information was publicly available.
As the situation unfolds, authorities are working to determine the extent of the breach and any potential risks posed by the leaked information.
