Short answer
The Administrative Office of the US Courts said on 15 October 2026 that a cybersecurity incident at BAE Systems, which runs the Bankruptcy Noticing Center for the federal judiciary, halted production and distribution of bankruptcy notices to courts nationwide. It reported access restored on 27 October.
If you think your details were included, start with our checklist on what to do after a data breach.
Key facts
| Organization | BAE Systems (Bankruptcy Noticing Center) |
|---|---|
| Incident type | Supply-chain compromise |
| Status | Confirmed by the organization |
| Sector | Defense contractor and federal court services |
| Country | United States |
| Detected | 2026-10-15 |
| Disclosed | 2026-10-15 |
| People or records affected | Bankruptcy noticing for all US federal bankruptcy courts; no data compromise has been reported |
What data was exposed
- No data exposure has been confirmed; the US Courts notice does not say whether any data was accessed
- Service outage: bnc.uscourts.gov, bankruptcynotices.uscourts.gov, notices.uscourts.gov and the National Creditor Registration Service were unavailable
What happened
The Administrative Office of the US Courts published a notice on 15 October 2026 saying a cybersecurity incident had affected BAE Systems IT and the websites that support the Bankruptcy Noticing Center, known as the BNC. BAE operates those systems for the federal judiciary. The BNC produces and sends bankruptcy notices for every federal bankruptcy court in the country, and that production and distribution stopped.
Infosecurity Magazine reported the incident on 16 October. It quoted a BAE spokesperson: “We are aware of a security incident that is isolated to the BNC system and have taken immediate steps to address it.”
Which services went dark
According to US Courts, these were unavailable: bnc.uscourts.gov, bankruptcynotices.uscourts.gov, notices.uscourts.gov and the National Creditor Registration Service. The judiciary said it was communicating with affected courts and coordinating with BAE Systems, while BAE said it was investigating and working to restore operations.
Emergency declaration and restoration
On 22 October the Judicial Conference declared a Bankruptcy Rules emergency. Under Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 9038, that gives bankruptcy judges wider authority to extend deadlines, toll time periods and issue related orders to cope with the outage and the return to normal operations.
An update dated 27 October reported that BAE told the Administrative Office that the cybersecurity issues were resolved and that the BNC system is back online and available.
What is not known
The sources we reviewed leave several questions open. The judiciary has not described the nature of the attack, when it began or how the intruder got in. It has not said whether any data was accessed or taken. No group has claimed responsibility in the reporting we found. Because this is a service outage with no confirmed data loss, we have classed it as a supply-chain incident: the failure sat with a contractor that runs a federal system, not with the courts’ own networks.
Why it matters for scam risk
Bankruptcy notices tell creditors and debtors about hearings, deadlines and claims. When the real channel goes quiet, fake ones become more believable. Fraudsters regularly send emails posing as courts, trustees or collection firms with attachments or “claim forms”. The outage also means some people may have missed genuine notices, which scammers can exploit by claiming a deadline has passed and a fee will fix it.
If you are involved in a federal bankruptcy case, check the docket through the court’s official system and confirm anything urgent with the clerk using a number from the court’s own website. Do not pay anyone who contacts you out of the blue.
See our guides on government impersonation scams and urgent payment demands, and the data breach checklist.
Scams to watch for after this breach
Criminals use breach news as cover. Expect messages that mention the incident, quote real details, or offer help.
- Fake 'bankruptcy notice' or 'creditor claim' emails with links or attachments, exploiting the gap in genuine mailed and electronic notices.
- Callers or emails posing as a court clerk or trustee who demand payment or personal details to 'confirm your claim'.
- Phishing that mentions the outage or the Bankruptcy Noticing Center to push you to a look-alike login page.
What to do if you are affected
- 01If you are a creditor or party in a bankruptcy case, check the case on the court's official website or PACER instead of relying on an emailed link.
- 02Do not pay anyone who contacts you about a bankruptcy claim. Courts do not demand payment by gift card, crypto or wire by phone.
- 03Confirm any deadline notice with the clerk of the court, using a phone number from the court's own site.
- 04Type uscourts.gov addresses yourself rather than following links in unexpected messages.
- 05Ask your lawyer or trustee about deadline extensions, since the judiciary declared an emergency under Bankruptcy Rule 9038.
Frequently asked questions
What was affected?
US Courts said the incident hit BAE Systems IT and the websites that support the Bankruptcy Noticing Center. bnc.uscourts.gov, bankruptcynotices.uscourts.gov, notices.uscourts.gov and the National Creditor Registration Service were unavailable, and production and distribution of notices to courts stopped.
Was personal data stolen?
Not stated. The US Courts notice does not say whether any data was compromised, and neither BAE Systems nor the judiciary has described the nature of the attack in the sources we reviewed.
Is the system working again?
Yes, according to an update dated 27 October 2026. BAE told the Administrative Office of the US Courts that the issues were resolved and the Bankruptcy Noticing Center is back online.
What is the bankruptcy rules emergency?
On 22 October the Judicial Conference declared a Bankruptcy Rules emergency. Under Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 9038, that gives bankruptcy judges expanded authority to extend deadlines, toll time periods and issue related orders because of the outage.
Sources
- Update: Bankruptcy Noticing Center access restored (originally: Cybersecurity incident disrupting bankruptcy court operations), US Courts, 2026-10-27
- Cyber Incident at BAE Systems Disrupts US Federal Bankruptcy Noticing, Infosecurity Magazine, 2026-10-16
This post summarises public reporting as of 2026-11-06. Details of live incidents change; we update posts when the organization or regulators publish new facts. Spot an error? See our editorial and corrections policy.