The Washington, DC Metropolitan Police Department has been hit by a severe ransomware attack by the Babuk hacker group, who has released personnel files and is threatening to release information on ongoing investigations and informants, the Washington Post reports.
The group has posted a password-protected file that it says contains information on criminal investigations, secret informants and gang members, but it has not yet posted the password to unlock the file. “You still have the ability to stop it,” the group wrote.
Babuk earlier released the personnel files of more than 3,600 current and former police officers and other employees. The Department employs more than 3,800 officers and about 700 civilians.