Thus a foreign hacker breached the Epstein Files from the FBI servers.

A serious intrusion into the servers has embarrassed the top officials of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, bringing to light unexpected vulnerabilities in U.S. security systems.

According to documents from the Department of Justice examined and made public by Reuters, a foreign hacker managed to penetrate a server of the FBI's New York office, accessing sensitive materials related to the investigation into the pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

In an official statement, the Bureau described the breach as an “isolated incident”, placing it about three years ago. The details of the intrusion, which have only recently come to light, outline a surprising scenario: it all began when a server from the New York Child Exploitation Forensic Lab was inadvertently left exposed by Special Agent Aaron Spivack, who was dealing with the complex internal procedures for managing digital evidence.

According to a timeline prepared by Spivack himself, the unauthorized access occurred on February 12, 2023. The following day, upon turning on his computer, the agent found a disturbing text file left by the intruder, with a warning about the network compromise.

Internal checks confirmed unusual activity on the server, including the consultation of specific files related to the Epstein case.

The most paradoxical aspect of the affair is that the hacker did not realize he had entered a law enforcement system. Faced with images of child abuse stored in the lab's database, he reportedly expressed disgust, even threatening in a message to report the “owner” of the server to the FBI.

The situation was defused in an unusual manner: Bureau officials had to convince him of their identity by connecting via video call and showing their badges in front of the camera.

While claiming to have contained the access and secured the network, the agency leaves many questions unanswered. Reuters notes that it is unclear which specific files were viewed or taken, nor who the hacker was or which country he operated from. Sources close to the dossier indicate that it could be a common cybercriminal, rather than a foreign state agent; nonetheless, the incident sheds light on the huge intelligence value of that material.

“Who wouldn't seek out Epstein's files if they were Russian or someone interested in obtaining compromising material (kompromat)?,” commented Jon Lindsay, a researcher at the Georgia Institute of Technology, adding that it would be surprising if foreign intelligence services did not consider that archive a priority target.

The interest in documents about Epstein, who had years of ties with Donald Trump and died by suicide in his cell in 2019 while facing federal charges of sex trafficking minors, is global. The publication of records has already revealed connections to prominent figures around the world, prompting investigations in numerous countries.

Meanwhile, Spivack defends himself by attributing responsibility to contradictory internal policies and calling himself a scapegoat. The Trump administration continues to withhold some materials to protect - it is claimed - the identities of the victims and ongoing investigations, keeping many documents heavily redacted despite a law requiring their full disclosure.