In 2018, a hacker working for the Sinaloa Cartel managed to obtain phone records belonging to an FBI official and used Mexico City’s surveillance cameras to track and target informants and witnesses, according to a Justice Department report.
This information came out in a Justice Department Inspector General audit that examined how the FBI deals with widespread technical surveillance threats.
At the time, the FBI was investigating Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, who had been extradited to the United States in 2017.
The FBI learned that the cartel had hired a hacker who provided various services related to exploiting mobile phones and other electronic devices.
The hacker identified an FBI assistant legal attaché (ALAT) stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City.
Using the attaché’s phone number, the hacker accessed detailed call logs, including all incoming and outgoing calls, as well as geolocation data showing the attaché’s whereabouts.
The hacker did not stop there.
They also gained access to Mexico City’s surveillance camera network and used it to monitor the attaché’s movements across the city, per Fox News.
Through the camera system, the hacker was able to identify people the attaché met with during