D.C. police department hit by ransomware attack; 'Thousands' of confidential documents leaked

Thousands of confidential documents from the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department were leaked onto the dark web Thursday after a cyberattack from a "Russian-speaking ransomware syndicate," The Associated Press reports.

The leak includes "hundreds of police officer disciplinary files and intelligence reports," as well as "feeds from other agencies," like "the FBI and Secret Service," AP writes. It is, according to experts, "the worst known ransomware attack ever to hit a U.S. police department."

The so-called Babuk Group coordinated the leak after the D.C. police department "refused to meet" blackmail demands. The group reportedly asked for $4 million in ransom, but were "only offered $100,000." The department has not clarified whether or not it made the offer, per AP.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Last month, the ransomware gang revealed its cyberattack and threatened a massive leak. Some of the data they reportedly obtained includes "sensitive and embarrassing private details" from background checks, as well as documents detailing security operations at events like President Biden's inauguration.

The breach comes just one day after the Colonial Pipeline resumed operations following its own ransomware attack last week. Read more at The Associated Press.