Justice

Justice Dept. rescinds rules safeguarding media from government seizures

The rules, first issued under former Attorney General Merrick Garland, gave members of the press protections from legal mechanisms to obtain sensitive data linked to their reporting.

Democrats push Justice Department to keep Election Threats Task Force amid rollbacks

The task force was created to help protect election officials from stalking and threats, but its future remains in question after the Trump administration scrapped other election integrity initiatives.

US charges 12 Chinese nationals for hacks into government systems

Some of the people have ties to i-Soon, the Chinese tech firm whose hacking-for-hire activities were exposed in a leak last year. Others are linked to Silk Typhoon, a hacking unit that recently breached the Treasury Department.

Trump to nominate John Eisenberg to head Justice’s national security division

During his time as a legal advisor in the first Trump administration, Eisenberg reportedly ordered a 2019 call with the Ukrainian president to be secured on a classified server, turning it into the central evidence in Trump’s first impeachment inquiry.

Ousted career execs at DOJ are considering options after being given vague rationale for firings

The dismissals came just hours after Trump's inauguration and raises questions of the president's legal authorities.

Major cyber news drops under the buzzer for 2024

A ninth U.S. telecommunications provider fell onto Salt Typhoon’s victim list, and the UN’s controversial cybercrime treaty was adopted.

US charges Israeli-Russian national with making software for LockBit ransomware gang

LockBit has made headlines for years, allowing purveyors of its malware to haul away millions of dollars from victims.

House Dems join push to create AI-focused civil rights offices across government

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., would require that federal agencies “utilizing, funding or overseeing AI” establish civil rights offices to address algorithmic bias.

Employee group urges centralized response to increase in doxxing and threats against federal workers

The Department of Justice Gender Equality Network urged department leadership to create a centralized “triage” team to better tackle instances where members of the public doxx or threaten employees online.

US charges 2 with running 'Anonymous Sudan' hacking group

Multiple firms, including Amazon, CrowdStrike and Microsoft, aided the Justice Department in efforts that took down Anonymous Sudan’s main tooling in March.

DOJ, Microsoft disrupt Russian hackers targeting civil society orgs

The group, likely linked to Russia’s Federal Security Service, has focused on stealing credentials from NGOs and think tanks around the world.

US charges Iranian operatives with hacking Trump campaign

The allegations come 38 days before the November presidential election, as the U.S. has worked to stave off foreign adversaries’ attempts to sow discord into the election process.

5 Russian military hackers plotted to spread malware to Ukraine through a US company, new charges say

The hackers also tried to target a federal agency based in Maryland, the Justice Department alleges.

Updated

US says Russia conducted sustained disinformation campaign to sway 2024 election

The Justice Department unsealed an indictment accusing two Russian state media employees of contributing to the election influence efforts.

DOJ suit claims Georgia Tech ‘knowingly failed’ to meet cyber standards for DOD contracts

The Justice Department has joined onto a whistleblower lawsuit filed by two senior staffers on Georgia Tech’s cybersecurity compliance team that was filed in 2022.

Justice broadens its AI data analysis abilities to process video, redact info

An expanded contract with AI software firm Veritone will allow the Department of Justice to streamline unstructured data for limited requested public access and investigative efforts.

US accuses Russian national of helping deploy malware on Ukrainian government computers

The alleged hacker used U.S. computer infrastructure to distribute the infamous “WhisperGate” malware into Ukrainian systems.