The FBI is breaking into corporate computers to remove malicious code – smart cyber defense or government overreach?

By Scott Shackelford, Indiana University

The FBI has the authority right now to access privately owned computers without their owners’ knowledge or consent, and to delete software. It’s part of a government effort to contain the continuing attacks on corporate networks running Microsoft Exchange software, and it’s an unprecedented intrusion that’s raising legal questions about just how far the government can go.

On April 9, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas approved a search warrant allowing the U.S. Department of Justice to carry out the operation.

The software the FBI is deleting is malicious code installed by hackers to take control of a victim’s computer. Hackers have used the code to access vast amounts of private email messages and to launch ransomware attacks. The authority the Justice Department relied on and the way the FBI carried out the operation set important precedents. They also raise questions about the power of courts to regulate cybersecurity without the consent of the owners of the targeted computers.

Read the Full Article on dWeb.News at: https://dweb.news/2021/05/05/the-fbi-is-breaking-into-corporate-computers-to-remove-malicious-code-smart-cyber-defense-or-government-overreach/

Photo: FBI Headquarters at night Photo: FBI

#FBI #FederalBureauofInvestigation #cybersecurity #cyberdefense #government #microsoft #microsoftexchange #exchange #ransomware #maliciouscode #hackers #justicedepartment