The Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department said on Tuesday that its systems had been hacked, and data files were stolen.
“We are aware of unauthorized access on our server,” a spokesperson for the department told NBC in a statement. “While we determine the full impact and continue to review activity, we have engaged the FBI to fully investigate this matter.”
According to the New York Times, the hackers appeared to be affiliated with Babuk, a group that emerged earlier this year and uses ransomware to lock up private or sensitive information before demanding payment.
The group’s political aims, if any remains unclear but according to global cybersecurity firm McAfee, members of the group have positioned themselves as opponents of racial justice and civil rights movement.
