Cybercriminals seeking to extort Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department have published extensive private dossiers of five current and former officers.
The files, each of which is around 100 pages long, are marked "Background Investigation Documents" and labeled "confidential," alongside the department’s seal, NBC News reported. They include a vast array of personal information, as well as arrest history, housing and financial records, polygraph results and extensive details about their training and work background.
The hackers are one of several known ransomware gangs that hack an organization, then lock its files or threaten to leak them if not paid a ransom fee. Many, including the MPD's hackers, post evidence of their exploits to dedicated websites on the dark web to increase pressure on their victims to pay.
One former MPD officer whose file was among those leaked and who requested to not be named to protect his privacy, confirmed in a phone call that the information was authentic. MPD had not yet contacted him, he said.
We've got the news you need to know to start your day. Sign up for the First & 4Most morning newsletter — delivered to your inbox daily. >Sign up here.
Read the full story at NBCNews.com.
