In 2023, foreign hackers compromised a server at the FBI’s New York Field Office, accessing files related to the Jeffrey Epstein case, according to recently released Department of Justice documents and sources Reuters spoke with.
The hackers apparently didn’t know what they’d done. Seemingly unaware of who they were dealing with, they said in a note that they were so alarmed by what they found that they threatened to turn the files over to the FBI.
The 2023 FBI data hack
Epstein files were hacked by 'foreign spy' three years ago after secret break-in at FBI office https://t.co/LyeVebSL62
— Daily Mail (@DailyMail) March 11, 2026
According to Reuters, on Feb. 12, 2023, a hacker gained access to a server at the FBI’s Child Exploitation Forensic Lab in New York, which stores digital evidence used in investigations involving child exploitation. Special Agent Aaron Spivack was handling digital evidence and configuring remote access, inadvertently leaving the system vulnerable.
Spivack discovered the problem the next day when he logged into his workstation and found a text file warning that the network had been compromised, as logs showed unusual IP activity and someone browsing files tied to the Epstein case.
Investigators still don’t know who did it, but believe the intruder was a foreign cybercriminal, not a state actor, Reuters reports.
Whoever it was, they apparently did not realize they had accessed an FBI system, at least at first. When they saw child-abuse evidence files, they left a message threatening to report the owner of the server to the FBI.
FBI personnel later contacted the hacker via video call and showed them credentials, proving the system belonged to law enforcement.
What was stolen?
Computer forensics experts claim to have found vulnerabilities in the ways that the Epstein files were redacted.
— Pubity (@pubity) February 5, 2026
They're slowly uncovering the PDF files and reconstructing documents to get around censor bars. pic.twitter.com/q7tySEy4w3
It remains unclear exactly which Epstein-related files were accessed, downloaded, or permanently lost, and investigators have not publicly identified the hacker.
Spivack documented the incident in internal timelines and statements, and, when questioned by FBI investigators, claimed he was being made a “scapegoat” for the breach, blaming confusing internal IT procedures and guidance. The outcome of the FBI’s internal investigation into responsibility has not been publicly disclosed.
“Who wouldn’t be going after the Epstein files if you’re the Russians or somebody interested in kompromat?”, Jon Lindsay, an emerging technology in global security researcher at the Georgia Institute of Technology, told Reuters. “If foreign intelligence agencies are not thinking seriously about the Epstein files as a target, then I would be shocked.”
Several other irregular incidents have surrounded the investigation into Epstein. In addition to the 2023 FBI server breach linked to agent Spivack, there have been multiple controversies involving missing or mishandled records.
Large batches of “Epstein files” released by the U.S. Justice Department contained redaction errors that allowed hidden text to be recovered or accidentally exposed identifying details about alleged victims, forcing officials to remove and review the documents.
Investigators and journalists have also reported that some records were mistakenly withheld from earlier disclosures, incorrectly labeled as duplicates. Earlier in the case, the 2019 death of Epstein in federal custody triggered scrutiny after guards failed to perform required checks and surveillance cameras near his cell malfunctioned, leaving gaps in footage.
