Senator Requests GAO Review of Federal Use of Hacking Tools
Democratic Senator Ron Wyden has asked the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate how federal law enforcement agencies use hacking tools and spyware against Americans, citing a lack of transparency in their deployment. In his letter to the GAO, Wyden highlighted that while these technologies have been used for over two decades, there is minimal public information on their scope or safeguards compared to traditional surveillance methods like wiretaps. Wyden’s request includes an inquiry into potential misuse by agents and how agencies acquire, store, and secure hacking tools. He also wants the GAO to assess whether federal authorities report security flaws that could help tech companies fix vulnerabilities. The senator referenced a case where stolen U.S.-made hacking tools were used against Ukraine and cryptocurrency users. The FBI’s earliest known use of spyware dates back to 1999 during an investigation into organized crime in Philadelphia, when agents installed keystroke-logging malware on the suspect's computer.
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