Drew Wade, the chief of the Marshals Service public affairs office announced Monday evening that the US Marshals Service had reportedly suffered from a ransomware attack targeting a computer system containing sensitive information. The cyber incident also affected personal information belonging to investigation targets. The US Marshals Service discovered the breach on February 17 and promptly disconnected the affected system as well as contacted the Department of Justice to begin a forensic investigation.
The Department of Justice has deemed the breach a major incident, which means that it could result in demonstrable harm to US national security, foreign relations, the economy, public health, civil liberties, public confidence, or the safety of the American people. The information obtained in the breach will be highly sensitive in nature and could be used for a variety of purposes, including extortion, putting the safety of US citizens at risk, or sold to nation-state actors. Specific details about the threat actor responsible for the attack and the type of ransomware used are not available.
Read More: Ransomware Attack Hits US Marshals Service
