A federal lawsuit has been initiated against a contractor for allegedly leaking classified information to the government. The Washington Post points out how modern workplace printers have monitoring capabilities that can archive every document processed. FBI documents indicate that the leaker was identified through an office printer.
Federal prosecutors charged Aurelio Luis Perez-Lugones, an IT specialist for a government contractor, with unlawful possession of national defense information, as stated in an FBI affidavit dated January 9. This case garnered media attention after agents searched Perez-Lugones’ home. According to reports, a less recognized aspect of the inquiry highlighted the printers as extensive surveillance tools, preserving complete records of printed documents.
The probe became widely known after The Washington Post detailed that authorities confiscated various devices belonging to journalist Hannah Natanson. As previously mentioned by Breitbart News:
“Last week, at the request of the Department of the Army, the Department of Justice, and the FBI executed a search warrant at an individual’s home,” Bondy noted. “A journalist received and reported confidential and illegally leaked details from a Pentagon contractor. The leaker is currently in custody. Our administration will not overlook illegal information leaks that could jeopardize our national security and the safety of our military personnel.”
The FBI affidavit elaborates on how Mr. Perez-Lugones allegedly tried to extract information from a Secure Compartment Information Facility (SCIF) and how his employer caught on to his actions.
According to investigators, Perez-Lugones printed a classified report, seemingly trying to cover his tracks. Regular office printers usually log basic details like file names and user IDs. In an effort to avoid detection, he allegedly took screenshots of sensitive content and inserted them into Microsoft Word documents, as outlined in the affidavit.
The affidavit also notes that he named the document “Microsoft Word – Document1,” a title that might not raise suspicion during routine printer log checks.
However, it turned out that Perez-Lugones’ employer had capabilities beyond typical printer monitoring, accessing the full content of print jobs. The affidavit specifies that the employer could track printing activity and retain copies of what was printed.
In environments with such printer monitoring software, when a file is sent to be printed, the software silently creates duplicate copies and images of every printed page. This occurs without alerting the user, so employees may not realize their actions are being saved. Administrators can also set how long copies should be retained and storage limits.
Investigators noted that beyond the printing issue, Perez-Lugones was seen reviewing classified documents and jotting down notes, appearing to move between a classified system screen and a notepad. While the affidavit doesn’t specify how this was observed, the detailed nature of the account suggests the presence of video surveillance in the area.
read more Intercept here.
