What happened with the FBI email infrastructure compromise in November 2021?

6 Marketer opinions 2 Expert opinions 3 Technical articles 4 Resources

Summary

In November 2021, the FBI's email infrastructure was compromised, resulting in the distribution of fake emails warning of cyberattacks. A software misconfiguration, specifically a flaw in a web form and the use of older CGI scripts on modern systems, was exploited to send these emails via FBI servers. These emails appeared legitimate, originating from an official FBI email address, and were sent to addresses likely scraped from the ARIN database, targeting system administrators and IT professionals. The content warned of sophisticated cyberattacks, causing widespread confusion and distrust. The FBI and CISA were aware and took the compromised system offline quickly to remediate the issue. The incident underscores the potential damage from simple exploits and emphasizes the importance of securing web forms, modernizing systems, and implementing robust authentication and vulnerability management practices.

Key findings

Compromised Infrastructure: The FBI's email infrastructure was compromised, leading to the distribution of fake emails.
Exploited Vulnerability: A software misconfiguration and outdated CGI scripts were exploited to send the malicious emails.
Web Form Flaw: A flaw in an FBI web form allowed unauthenticated users to send emails.
Legitimate Appearance: The emails appeared legitimate, originating from a valid FBI email address.
Targeted Addresses: Email addresses were likely scraped from the ARIN database, targeting system administrators.
Disruptive Content: The emails contained warnings about cyberattacks, causing concern and disruption.
Quick Remediation: The compromised system was taken offline quickly to remediate the issue.

Key considerations

Vulnerability Management: Regularly assess and patch vulnerabilities to minimize the risk of exploitation.
Secure Web Forms: Properly securing web forms is crucial to prevent unauthorized email sending.
Modernize Systems: Organizations should modernize systems and avoid using outdated technologies like older CGI scripts.
Secure Authentication: Implement robust user authentication mechanisms to prevent unauthorized access.
Incident Response: Develop incident response plans to quickly address and remediate security incidents.
Email Infrastructure Security: Organizations must prioritize the security of their email infrastructure.

What email marketers say
6Marketer opinions

In November 2021, the FBI's email infrastructure was compromised, leading to the distribution of fake emails warning of cyberattacks. A poorly coded script on the FBI's LEEP portal was exploited to send these emails, which appeared legitimate as they originated from an official FBI email address. The targeted email addresses were likely scraped from the ARIN database, suggesting a focus on system administrators and IT professionals. The emails contained warnings about sophisticated cyberattacks and a named threat actor, causing concern and disruption.

Key opinions

Compromised Infrastructure: The FBI's email infrastructure was compromised, allowing attackers to send fake emails.
Exploited Vulnerability: A poorly coded script on the FBI's LEEP portal was exploited to send the malicious emails.
Legitimate Appearance: The emails appeared to be legitimate, originating from a valid FBI email address.
Targeted Addresses: Email addresses were likely scraped from the ARIN database, targeting system administrators.
Disruptive Content: The emails contained warnings about cyberattacks, causing concern and disruption.

Key considerations

Vulnerability Management: The incident highlights the importance of maintaining secure and up-to-date systems and promptly addressing vulnerabilities.
Authentication Security: Strong authentication mechanisms are crucial to prevent unauthorized use of email infrastructure.
Data Security: Protecting databases like ARIN from scraping is important to limit targeted attacks.
Incident Response: Organizations need robust incident response plans to quickly address and mitigate the impact of security breaches.
Public Trust: Government agencies must prioritize security to maintain public trust and prevent the spread of misinformation.

Marketer view

Email marketer from KrebsOnSecurity explains that a poorly coded script on the FBI's Law Enforcement Enterprise Portal (LEEP) allowed someone to send out tens of thousands of fake emails. The attacker exploited a feature that allowed users to request an email with a one-time password, manipulating it to send out spam emails.

February 2024 - KrebsOnSecurity

Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks shares that the FBI email infrastructure has been compromised and is being used to send fake emails about fake cyberattacks to system admins. These emails are being sent to addresses scraped from the ARIN database and causing disruption because the headers are real.

June 2024 - Email Geeks

Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit describes that the emails contained a warning about a sophisticated chain attack and mentioned a threat actor named Vinny Troia. The message urged recipients to check their systems and IDS monitoring.

May 2023 - Reddit

Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks confirms receiving the fake FBI email at an address registered with ARIN and points to a Reddit thread discussing the issue.

May 2022 - Email Geeks

Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit shares that the emails appeared to be coming from a legitimate FBI email address (@ic.fbi.gov). Many system administrators and IT professionals received these emails, raising concerns about a potential breach.

February 2023 - Reddit

Marketer view

Email marketer from Twitter explains that the email addresses targeted in the FBI email hoax appeared to have been scraped from the ARIN database. This suggested a targeted approach, focusing on individuals likely involved in network administration and security.

December 2022 - Twitter

What the experts say
2Expert opinions

The FBI email infrastructure compromise in November 2021 was caused by a flaw in a web form that allowed unauthenticated users to send emails via FBI servers. This exploit demonstrated the potential damage from simple vulnerabilities, leading to confusion and distrust. Securing web forms and email infrastructure is of paramount importance.

Key opinions

Web Form Flaw: A flaw in an FBI web form allowed unauthenticated users to send emails.
Simple Exploit, Big Impact: Even simple exploits can cause significant damage and erode trust.

Key considerations

Secure Web Forms: Properly securing web forms is crucial to prevent unauthorized email sending.
Email Infrastructure Security: Organizations must prioritize the security of their email infrastructure.
Vulnerability Management: Regularly assess and patch vulnerabilities to minimize the risk of exploitation.

Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise highlights that the FBI email incident demonstrated the potential damage from even relatively simple exploits, leading to widespread confusion and distrust. It also emphasizes the importance of securing web forms and email infrastructure.

July 2023 - Word to the Wise

Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that the FBI email incident involved a flaw in a web form that allowed unauthenticated users to send emails via FBI servers. This flaw was exploited to send out hoax emails.

September 2023 - Word to the Wise

What the documentation says
3Technical articles

The FBI and CISA confirmed an incident in November 2021 involving fake emails originating from an FBI-operated email server due to a software misconfiguration that was exploited. The system was taken offline quickly to remediate the issue. The vulnerability stemmed from using older CGI scripts on modern systems, creating a weakness in user authentication.

Key findings

Fake Emails: Fake emails originated from an FBI-operated email server.
Software Misconfiguration: A software misconfiguration in an FBI system was leveraged to send the emails.
Outdated CGI Scripts: The vulnerability resulted from using older CGI scripts on modern systems.
Weak Authentication: The use of older CGI scripts led to a weakness in the user authentication flow.
System Remediation: The compromised system was taken offline quickly to remediate the issue.

Key considerations

Modernize Systems: Organizations should modernize systems and avoid using outdated technologies like older CGI scripts.
Secure Authentication: Implement robust user authentication mechanisms to prevent unauthorized access.
Rapid Response: Develop incident response plans to quickly address and remediate security incidents.
Regular Audits: Perform regular security audits to identify and address potential vulnerabilities.

Technical article

Documentation from CISA confirms that the FBI and CISA were aware of the incident involving fake emails originating from an FBI-operated email server. They stated that the compromised system was taken offline quickly to remediate the issue.

May 2024 - CISA

Technical article

Documentation from CERT notes the vulnerability that lead to the compromise was the result of using older CGI scripts on modern systems. This caused a weakness in the user authentication flow.

November 2021 - CERT

Technical article

Documentation from FBI confirms that an actor was able to leverage a software misconfiguration in an FBI system to send these emails. Although the impacted system was offline quickly after detection, the ramifications were still large.

December 2024 - FBI Statement

FBI Statement on Incident Involving Fake Emails — FBI

The FBI and CISA are aware of the incident this morning involving fake emails from an @ic.fbi.gov email account. This is an ongoing situation, and we are not able to provide any additional information at this time.

Federal Bureau of Investigation

OWA Compromised - Collaboration - Spiceworks Community

We run a hybrid Exchange and apparently some of the users on our local Exchange had their email compromised via OWA. We’ve had them change their passwords, but we are still getting random emails sent from a few of those accounts. We’ve disabled OWA, Active Sync and OWA for devices, but on a couple of users those seem to be being re-enabled and then e-mails are sent with links to various email accounts those users send to at around 4:00 AM local time. I’m coming up with nothing in the logs and c...

Spiceworks Community