A sweeping cyberattack has compromised the U.S. federal judiciary’s electronic case filing system, reportedly exposing sensitive court data in multiple states, according to a report by Politico citing two individuals familiar with the matter.
The breach affected the Case Management/Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF) system—used by legal professionals to submit and manage documents—as well as PACER, the public-facing system that provides fee-based access to federal court records. Both platforms are central to how courts manage and share legal information, including sealed indictments, arrest warrants, and other confidential filings.
Neither the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts nor the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) provided comment as of late Wednesday. The FBI referred inquiries to the Department of Justice, which also declined to respond.
While no suspects have been publicly named, prior statements from federal officials suggest longstanding foreign interest in the judiciary’s digital infrastructure. In 2022, then-House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler warned that “three hostile foreign actors” had successfully infiltrated the filing system in what he described as a breach of “startling breadth and scope.”
This latest compromise underscores systemic cybersecurity challenges within the federal judiciary. In recent testimony to lawmakers, U.S. Circuit Judge Amy St. Eve criticized the chronic underinvestment in court IT infrastructure, noting that many systems remain outdated, costly to maintain, and vulnerable to both operational failure and security breaches.
From a broader perspective, the implications of the hack may stretch beyond the courtroom. If sealed indictments or confidential warrants were accessed, it could compromise ongoing investigations, endanger law enforcement operations, or expose witness identities. For retailers—particularly those involved in active litigation, intellectual property cases, or federal investigations—the breach raises questions about the security of sensitive filings and proprietary business data housed in federal court systems.
Moreover, the incident highlights how cyber threats increasingly intersect with business risk. As retailers continue to digitize operations, from supply chains to legal documentation, the need for robust cybersecurity strategies extends far beyond corporate networks. Vulnerabilities in government infrastructure now represent a shared risk—one that may warrant closer scrutiny from the private sector.
References:
Politico. (2025, August 6). U.S. federal judiciary’s electronic case filing system hacked, exposing sensitive court data. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/06/federal-court-system-hack-00112345
Reuters. (2025, August 6). U.S. federal court filing system breached in sweeping hack, Politico reports. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-federal-court-filing-system-breached-sweeping-hack-politico-reports-2025-08-07/
Talk Business & Politics. (2025, August). The Supply Side: Retail store closures totaled about 6,000 in the first half of 2025. https://talkbusiness.net/2025/08/the-supply-side-retail-store-closures-totaled-about-6000-in-the-first-half-of-2025/