Chinese Hackers Breached FBI’s Secret Surveillance System; National Security Threat Declared

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has officially classified the recent breach of its surveillance system, carried out by Chinese hackers, as a ‘Serious Incident.’

This was reported by Politico.

This status is assigned only to cyber intrusions that pose a significant threat to US national security, foreign policy, or the country’s economic interests.

The hackers gained access to the digital data collection network, also known as DCS-3000 or Red Hook.

This system stores the results of lawful data interception, including phone numbers, call metadata, and information about the internet traffic of subjects under investigation.

Although the system does not record the content of conversations, it contains confidential information about exactly who law enforcement agencies are monitoring, which is extremely valuable to foreign intelligence services.

Investigators determined that the attackers did not penetrate the bureau’s internal network directly, but rather through the infrastructure of a third-party provider—a commercial internet service provider.

This ‘supply chain attack’ method allowed the hackers to remain undetected for some time. FBI analysts first detected suspicious activity on February 17, 2026, at the bureau’s offices in the Virgin Islands.

Under the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), classifying the event as a ‘Serious Incident’ requires the agency to notify Congress within seven days and involve the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the National Security Agency (NSA) in the response.

Currently, the White House and intelligence agencies are continuing to assess the full extent of the breach and are attempting to determine whether the hackers gained access to data regarding active counterintelligence investigations.

Earlier, Militarnyi reported that Iran-linked hackers from the Handala Hack Team had hacked into FBI Director Kash Patel’s personal email and published some of the data online.

A representative of the US Department of Justice confirmed to the publication that Patel’s email had been hacked and noted that the published materials appear to be authentic.