US bankruptcy registration and noticing services halted after cyberattack on BAE Systems contractor

The short version

• Federal bankruptcy courts cannot produce or distribute notices due to a cyberattack on contractor BAE Systems.
• All websites operated by BAE for the Judiciary, including creditor registration, are down.
• The Administrative Office of the US Courts is coordinating with BAE to restore these essential services.

The details

The Administrative Office of the US Courts reported on Thursday that a cyberattack targeting government contractor BAE Systems has disrupted federal bankruptcy court operations. This incident has taken down the notice system relied upon by these courts for legal communications. The disruption halts both the production and distribution of bankruptcy notices, which are essential for informing creditors and debtors of case developments.

All access to the BAE-operated systems and websites is currently unavailable. This includes the primary noticing portals bnc.uscourts.gov, bankruptcynotices.uscourts.gov, and notices.uscourts.gov. The National Creditor Registration Service is also offline. The Administrative Office stated it is in direct communication with the impacted courts and is coordinating closely with BAE Systems. BAE is actively investigating the incident and working to restore normal operations.

The context

BAE Systems is Europe's largest defense contractor and a major provider of enterprise IT and cybersecurity services to US government agencies. The US Federal Judiciary previously noted it was strengthening cybersecurity defenses after a separate cyberattack impacted its electronic case management systems last year. That earlier incident led to stricter access controls for sealed filings containing sensitive information. While the Judiciary did not confirm a breach of confidential documents in that prior event, reports indicated hackers had accessed case management systems.

What should you do?

• Monitor official US Courts channels for updates on when noticing systems will be restored.
• Check your email for manual notifications from court clerks regarding upcoming hearings or deadlines.
• Verify the status of the National Creditor Registration Service before attempting to file new registrations.
• Keep records of any attempts to access offline systems to prove you tried to comply with deadlines.

For customers and users

Affected parties should verify case statuses through alternative channels, such as direct contact with local court clerks, since digital noticing is suspended. Users should remain vigilant for phishing attempts that exploit this outage, as attackers often send fraudulent emails claiming to offer system access or urgent legal updates. Teams usually advise checking sender addresses carefully and avoiding clicking links in unsolicited messages during such disruptions. Do not share credentials with anyone claiming to be from BAE or the courts via email.

What to do and how to stay safe: BAE Systems

• Enable multi-factor authentication on all accounts linked to court filing systems to reduce credential theft risk.
• Monitor financial accounts for unauthorized activity, as bankruptcy data often contains sensitive financial identifiers.
• Review recent case filings for any anomalies that might indicate unauthorized access before systems fully recover.
• Update security software to ensure protection against known malware strains often used in initial access attacks.

Step-by-step guide: How Online Tracking Works: The Technical Chain from Request to Profile

General security guidance from the DataSafe Times newsroom. It is not confirmed advice from the organisations named in this story.

Frequently asked questions

Which specific websites are affected by the BAE Systems cyberattack?

The outage affects bnc.uscourts.gov, bankruptcynotices.uscourts.gov, notices.uscourts.gov, and the National Creditor Registration Service.

Has the US Courts confirmed any data was stolen in this incident?

The Administrative Office of the US Courts has not confirmed a data breach, only that systems are unavailable.

Who is coordinating the response to this cyberattack?

The Administrative Office of the US Courts is coordinating with BAE Systems and the impacted courts.