NextGov: Access to this data could allow foreign hackers to determine who the U.S. is surveilling. Phone numbers don’t necessarily reveal the identities of individuals, but they can be used to map relationships and build networks of associates and intelligence targets.
“The FBI, part of their job is counterintelligence,” said John Fokker, head of threat intelligence at Trellix and a former official in the Dutch National Police’s High-Tech Crime Unit. “So if they’re conducting any investigations on U.S. soil against, maybe some Chinese spies … that could be interesting for a party like the Chinese or the Russians, it could be anyone, just to get an inside look. It can give them a heads up of who they need to cut ties with, or bring back, or if their asset is compromised.”…