Hackers Steal Personal Data of Over 100,000 UK Police Personnel
The ExfilSquad hacking group claims responsibility for a cyberattack on the UK's Police National Legal Database (PNLD) that compromises the contact information of over 100,000 police officers and criminal justice professionals. The breach, detected on July 26, exposes full names, organizational affiliations, and email addresses. The extortion group asserts it steals 135,000 records totaling 1.9 GB of data, including details of both PNLD subscribers and users of the Ask the Police public platform.
PNLD confirms the breach but stresses that no passwords, security credentials, or confidential information relating to victims, witnesses, or offenders are compromised. The organization does not hold such sensitive data, limiting the scope of the incident to contact details. The National Crime Agency and cybersecurity experts actively investigate the attack, and the Information Commissioner's Office receives official notification of the event.
ExfilSquad publishes sample data to substantiate its claims and demands a ransom to prevent the release of the remaining stolen records. The group previously targets American semiconductor company Analog Devices, establishing a pattern of high-profile extortion attempts. All affected organizations receive notification and guidance following the incident as authorities work to contain the fallout from the breach.