Facebook turned to hacking to help FBI catch a child predator

To unmask a California man who repeatedly harassed and exploited girls on Facebook, the social network decided to help the FBI hack him, according to a Motherboard report on Wednesday.

Facebook has been reported to have been chasing Hernandez for years. With the secure operating system Tails, Hernandez was able to hide his real IP address and, according to the motherboard, continued to contact and harass dozens of victims on Facebook.

Facebook’s security team eventually decided to work with a third party to develop a hacking tool that exploited a bug in Tails’ video player. The exploit, which Facebook has reportedly paid six digits for, could reveal the actual IP address of a person watching a video. According to the motherboard, the tool was handed over to an intermediary, who handed it over to the FBI. The publication added that it was unclear whether the FBI knew about Facebook’s involvement.

Working with a victim, the FBI used the tool to send a booby-shooting video to Hernandez that the motherboard said the office used to collect evidence that led to his arrest and conviction. In February, Hernandez pleaded guilty to 41 charges, including the production of child pornography and threats to kill, kidnap and injure.

Facebook confirmed that it worked with security experts to help the FBI.

“This was a unique case because he used such sophisticated methods to hide his identity that we took extraordinary steps to work with security experts to help the FBI bring him to justice,” said a Facebook- Speakers in a statement sent by email. “The only acceptable result for us was that Buster Hernandez was held responsible for his abuse of young girls.”

The FBI declined to comment.

Motherboard said it had spoken to several current and former Facebook employees, and all said it was the first and only time that the company had helped law enforcement officers to prosecute a criminal in this special way.

Law enforcement has long argued that technology that encrypts messages or otherwise protects a user’s identity can be used by criminals and can prevent the police from catching offenders. However, others say that tools designed to hack into such systems endanger innocent users like political dissidents.

According to Tails OS, the operating system is widely used by journalists, activists, domestic violence survivors, and citizens with privacy concerns. The company told Motherboard that the Facebook exploit was never explained to the Tails development team.

You can read the full report of the motherboard here.