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Tom’s Guide
Tom’s Guide
Technology
Scott Younker

FBI issues alert over hackers posing as law enforcement to steal private information

An FBI agent typing on a computer.

The FBI has put out a warning that cybercriminals are pretending to be law enforcement (and other U.S. officials) to send out fraudulent "emergency data requests" (EDR). An EDR is a legal way for police and other agencies to obtain information from companies in "emergency" situations without a warrant or a subpoena.

An EDR is supposed to be used in life-or-death moments, but apparently, hackers are using them to get around company safeguards and obtain sensitive data quickly.

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