FBI warns hacking spree on government agencies is a “widespread problem”

The FBI is warning that members of the Anonymous hacking collective have breached computers belonging to multiple government agencies and made off with sensitive information in a series of attacks that started almost a year ago, according to a published report.

The warning is linked to the case of a British resident indicted two weeks ago on charges that he hacked databases belonging to the Department of Energy, the Department of Health and Human Services, the US Sentencing Commission, and other US agencies, Reuters reported Friday, citing an FBI memo. Lauri Love, prosecutors have alleged, exploited a flaw in Adobe's ColdFusion Web application development software and used his access to install backdoors that allowed him to return on subsequent occasions.

"The majority of the intrusions have not yet been made publicly known," Thursday's FBI memo stated. "It is unknown exactly how many systems have been compromised, but it is a widespread problem that should be addressed."

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