Investigation launched after theft of government data — leak hits US State Department

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Data relating to the US government has been stolen from a contractor and leaked online, prompting the State Department to launch an investigation.

The threat actor stole and leaked documents from tech consulting firm Acuity, which specializes in cybersecurity, DevSecOps, data analytics and operations support services.

The data allegedly contains a significant amount of personal information relating to the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, according to the threat actor who supposedly conducted the theft known as IntelBroker.

Five Eyes data stolen from right under their nose

The Five Eyes intelligence organization is composed of intelligence organizations from the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, which shares intelligence on state and state-sponsored espionage and cyber incidents.

IntelBroker says that the data contained within the confidential files includes full names, email addresses, office numbers and cell phone numbers of US officials in the Pentagon, military and government.

Speaking in the aftermath of the leak, a State Department spokesperson told BleepingComputer, “The Department is aware of claims that a cyber incident has occurred and is currently investigating. The Department takes seriously its responsibility to safeguard its information and continuously takes steps to improve the Department's cybersecurity posture. For security reasons, we will not provide details on the nature and scope of the claim.”

IntelBroker has gained a reputation for stealing sensitive information from US government agencies, including data on healthcare plans from DC Health Link for US House members alongside roughly 170,000 people, and information from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

IntelBroker is also responsible for stealing hundreds of thousands of Facebook marketplace accounts, alongside alleged DARPA-related military information, files, SQL files, and documents from US military contractor General Electric.

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Benedict has been writing about security issues for over 7 years, first focusing on geopolitics and international relations while at the University of Buckingham. During this time he studied BA Politics with Journalism, for which he received a second-class honours (upper division), then continuing his studies at a postgraduate level, achieving a distinction in MA Security, Intelligence and Diplomacy. Upon joining TechRadar Pro as a Staff Writer, Benedict transitioned his focus towards cybersecurity, exploring state-sponsored threat actors, malware, social engineering, and national security. Benedict is also an expert on B2B security products, including firewalls, antivirus, endpoint security, and password management.