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A ransomware attack on the United States Marshals Service exposed sensitive information, including fugitive data, exposed to hackers.
USMS spokesman Drew J. Wade said that hackers gained access to a stand-alone system, which was taken offline for forensic analysis when the attack was discovered on February 17.
"The affected system contains law enforcement sensitive information, including returns from legal process, administrative information, and personally identifiable information pertaining to subjects of USMS investigations, third parties, and certain USMS employees," Wade said in a statement.
An official with the agency told the New York Times that the attack did not compromise any data on the witness protection program, which is run by the agency.
Investigators have not determined who was responsible for the attack and working to find out how much data was taken before the computer system was pulled offline.
The Marshals Service has been able to use a workaround, so their work is not impacted by the attack that forced the computer system offline.