Discord Cooperates with the Government in An Attempt to Learn About Recent Breach

Between January and March of this year, US government documents started being leaked online. These documents contain some valuable information, and the Department of Defense has been trying to determine the culprits behind the leaked documents. Much of the information was originally distributed through messaging program Discord, and the government is currently working with the company to try and obtain more information about how the information was obtained, who accessed it, and what information overall has been released.

How Did the Attack Occur?

It's still unclear how the hackers were able to obtain government information, some of which was classified. We only know that whoever accessed it was either trying to prove a point or to give information to Russia and other countries interested in knowing about troop movement, supplies, and more intel concerning the War in Ukraine. The attackers broke into government networks, obtained confidential documents, and began distributing them over social networks like Reddit and messaging tools like Discord.

What Information Was Viewed or Stolen?

A wide variety of government information was accessed and distributed in this data breach, but most of it was about the War in Ukraine. Weapons supplies and their storage locations were given out. Troop movement patterns were also made available as well as many other confidential or even classified documents. Much of this information was never supposed to be available to the public and having it released could harm the war effort in a variety of ways.

How Did Discord Admit to the Breach?

The US Government quickly learned that information was being distributed via Discord because stories began going around the internet. The staff at Discord quickly began cooperating with the government and attempting to help officials determine the identity of the attackers by giving out information, but it doesn't seem to be as easy as you would expect. Discord is not at fault because of this breach and is only the messaging medium being used to spread the information. The attackers originally pulled the data from government databases before moving it over to Discord, Reddit, and other platforms.

What Will Become of the Stolen Information?

It seems pretty clear that the information is going to be spread around as much as possible and that any additional information that was taken will also be given out. The attackers don't seem to have any agenda other than spreading information about the War in Ukraine and possibly hurting the war effort for anyone aiding Ukraine in this conflict.

What Should Affected Parties Do in the Aftermath of the Breach?

The US Government is working hard to try and track down the source of the breach and to learn how attackers were able to get the data and who the attackers are. It's unclear whether the identity of the attackers will ever be exposed, but the government will continue the search, and companies like Discord, and Reddit are likely to aid in that search as much as they can until all the available information is gathered.