Hackers Are Using Police Emails to Send Tech Companies Fraudulent Data Requests

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Law enforcement send 'emergency' requests to tech giants when they believe it's necessary to stop an immediate threat. Hackers are taking advantage of that.

is already concerning enough, but that same ability is apparently being exploited by people who haven’t even been granted the authority. The FBI has issued a public notice warning that hackers are fraudulently obtaining people’s private information from tech companies by compromising police email accounts to send “emergency” data requests.

Think of it almost akin to the way in which Apple doesn’t build backdoors into iOS out of fear that authoritarian states would be able to crack open those doors and use them for ill. Law enforcement has a backdoor way of getting information on people quickly, and hackers are exploiting it.The advisory said that the cybercriminals were successful in masquerading as law enforcement by using compromised police accounts to send emails to companies requesting user data.

The FBI is calling on law enforcement to ensure accounts are better protected through stronger passwords and multi-factor authentication. It also says that tech companies should use their gut more when evaluating emergency requests and not simply roll over for any government demand.

 

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