U.S. Marshals Service suffers a ransomware attack

The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) was the victim of a ransomware attack, it is investigating the theft of sensitive information.

The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) announced that a ransomware attack has impacted “a stand-alone USMS system.” The US bureau is investigating the theft of sensitive information following the security breach.

The infection occurred on February 17, 2023, once discovered the infection the Marshals Service disconnected the system from the network and the Justice Department launched a forensic investigation.

The USMS is a US federal law enforcement agency, it is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General. The agency serves as the enforcement arm of the United States federal courts to ensure the effective operation of the judiciary and integrity of the Constitution. The Marshals Service is primarily responsible for the protection of judges and other judicial personnel, the administration of fugitive operations, the management of criminal assets, the operation of the United States Federal Witness Protection Program and the Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System, the execution of federal arrest warrants, and the protection of senior government officials through the Office of Protective Operations.

According to NBC, the database involving the Witness Security Program, commonly known as the witness protection program, was not impacted by the incident.

“The U.S. Marshals Service suffered a security breach over a week ago that compromises sensitive information, multiple senior U.S. law enforcement officials said Monday.” reported NBC.

The agency confirmed that the system infected with the ransomware contains law enforcement-sensitive information.

“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,” spokesperson Drew Wade told NBC.

According to NBC News, senior department officials classified the security breach as a major incident.”

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Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, ransomware)