A timeline written by Special Agent Aaron Spivack and included in released documents said the break-in occurred on February 12, 2023. It was discovered the next day when Spivack found a text file warning his network was compromised. Further investigation revealed unusual activity on the server, including combing through certain files pertaining to the Epstein investigation.
' The bureau restricted access to the malicious actor and rectified the network. The investigation remains ongoing, so the FBI does not have further comments to provide at this time. The breach was reported contemporaneously by CNN and Reuters on February 17, while the connection to Epstein materials was made by the French magazine Marianne.
Reuters, citing a source and Justice Department documents, indicates that the intrusion appeared to have been carried out by a cybercriminal rather than a foreign government. The hack occurred after a server at the Child Exploitation Forensic Lab in the FBI's New York Field Office was inadvertently left vulnerable by Spivack, who was trying to navigate the bureau's complex procedures for handling digital evidence. The specific Epstein investigation files accessed during the breach have not been disclosed, and it is unknown whether the hacker downloaded any data from the compromised server.
The FBI's ongoing investigation into the cyber incident has not yet concluded.