Judge Denies FBI Request to Hack Computer
A judge in Texas denied a request by the Federal Bureau of Investigation this week for what he describes as a warrant to remotely “hack a computer suspected of criminal use,” raising questions about the legal requirements for the government to use computer hacking techniques in investigations.
The case offers a rare look at the use of so-called “offensive” computer security tools by the U.S. government. Most past such legal requests by government investigators appear to have been sealed, as have been the judges’ rulings.