Cartel hackers used UTS surveillance to spy on FBI agents
In a shocking case that highlights persistent cybersecurity gaps at the heart of law enforcement, a 2025 report from the US Department of Justice revealed that a Mexican drug cartel used cyber surveillance techniques to infiltrate FBI operations. The attackers exploited phones and surveillance cameras to monitor agents, identify informants, and intimidate or eliminate witnesses.
The incident involved the Sinaloa cartel, once led by Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. In 2018, the cartel employed a black hat hacker who offered a full suite of offensive cyber capabilities. His primary task was to spy on individuals entering and leaving the US Embassy in Mexico City. This activity uncovered critical intelligence, including the identity and location of the FBI’s Assistant Legal Attache (ALAT).
What is UTS and why it matters
The technique used is known as Ubiquitous Technical Surveillance (UTS). This term refers to a method of collecting and correlating multiple data sources to create a comprehensive intelligence profile of a target. These sources can include:
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Visual surveillance from city cameras
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Phone call interception
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Geolocation data
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Financial and travel activity
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Online presence tracking
When linked together, this data enables attackers to map an individual’s behavior, movements, and associations with alarming precision.
According to the report, the hacker accessed the ALAT’s phone call logs and real-time location data. He also used Mexico City’s surveillance network to follow the agent’s movements and identify meetings with informants. These insights allowed the cartel to track, intimidate, or even kill individuals suspected of cooperating with authorities.
The FBI’s inadequate response to cyber infiltration
Despite the severity of the threat, the FBI has failed to develop a consistent and effective response to UTS. The Department of Justice Inspector General first warned the agency about these vulnerabilities in 2022, calling the Bureau’s cybersecurity posture “disjointed and inconsistent.”
In response, the FBI did elevate UTS to a Tier 1 Enterprise Risk and formed a red team tasked with identifying potential vulnerabilities. However, the analysis this team submitted was reportedly superficial and failed to address half of the expected risk categories.
Moreover, the red team disregarded a detailed internal analysis previously compiled by the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. That analysis, titled “Anatomy of a Case”, included valuable insights but was never integrated into the final review. The FBI later claimed the document was only a draft outline.
The Bureau’s strategic plan to tackle UTS also falls short. The current version lacks clarity on command authority and fails to propose a long-term, actionable framework. According to the Inspector General, without clear lines of authority and defined procedures, the FBI will continue to struggle to respond effectively to future cyber surveillance incidents.
The bigger threat: organized crime meets cyber capabilities
What makes this story even more alarming is the nature of the attackers. Drug cartels are traditionally viewed as violent, financially motivated criminals, not as cyber operators. But this incident shows that these organizations are evolving. They are hiring skilled hackers and integrating cyber surveillance into their operations to gain tactical advantage over state actors.
This marks a shift in the cyber threat landscape. Sophisticated espionage is no longer limited to state-sponsored actors. Private criminal networks now have the tools and budgets to carry out targeted surveillance against government officials and law enforcement. The barriers to entry have lowered, and the consequences have become lethal.
A wake-up call for modern cybersecurity practices
For governments and enterprises alike, this case is a stark reminder of the risks posed by technical surveillance and digital espionage. Organizations must assess their exposure across both digital and physical attack surfaces. Tools like mobile phone compromise, public camera exploitation, and geolocation tracking are no longer futuristic, they are operational threats today.
At ZENDATA, we help organizations build resilient cybersecurity strategies that protect against evolving threats, including surveillance-driven attacks. Our cybersecurity services are designed to address both the human and technical layers of risk, combining proactive threat intelligence, mobile device protection, and physical security analysis.
Conclusion
The FBI breach by the Sinaloa cartel wasn’t just a failure of counterintelligence, it was a case study in how cyber capabilities empower criminal empires. Until agencies and enterprises treat surveillance as a core cyber risk, attackers will continue to exploit these blind spots. UTS is real, it’s operational, and it’s a threat no organization can afford to ignore.
Read the full article from Malwarebytes here.
