D.C. police identify man who allegedly reposted data stolen from police computers
D.C. police identify man who allegedly reposted data stolen from police computers
By
Tom Jackman
May 18, 2021 at 12:35 a.m. GMT+1
D.C. police on Monday posted a photo of a man they believe may have reposted data that was stolen from the department in the recent hack of their computer system.
Later Monday, the police tweeted that they had identified the man. But the police declined to discuss the man further, beyond a Twitter post that said the department was seeking to identify him for “reposting of MPD’s illegally accessed data on social media platforms.”
The hackers who infiltrated the D.C. police computers, identifying themselves as Babuk, have been posting personnel files and a tranche of internal intelligence documents on the dark web, seeking money in exchange for removing the data.
A data dump last week came after negotiations with District officials apparently broke down, and a message posted on a site used by the hacking group said “the amount turned out to be too small. There is no way back you had very many chances.”
District officials declined to comment on any negotiations with the group and have not confirmed the authenticity of the posted documents. City officials have said they closed off Babuk’s entry point into the police computer system.
The most recent data dump contained some information related to street crews and also raw intelligence on threats following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Police declined to say Monday whether they think the man pictured in a tweet from the department had merely accessed the dark web postings, or was more deeply involved with the hack, and whether any new or damaging information had been posted.
Anyone with information about the man is asked to call (202) 727-9099 or text 50411.
By
Tom Jackman
May 18, 2021 at 12:35 a.m. GMT+1
D.C. police on Monday posted a photo of a man they believe may have reposted data that was stolen from the department in the recent hack of their computer system.
Later Monday, the police tweeted that they had identified the man. But the police declined to discuss the man further, beyond a Twitter post that said the department was seeking to identify him for “reposting of MPD’s illegally accessed data on social media platforms.”
The hackers who infiltrated the D.C. police computers, identifying themselves as Babuk, have been posting personnel files and a tranche of internal intelligence documents on the dark web, seeking money in exchange for removing the data.
A data dump last week came after negotiations with District officials apparently broke down, and a message posted on a site used by the hacking group said “the amount turned out to be too small. There is no way back you had very many chances.”
District officials declined to comment on any negotiations with the group and have not confirmed the authenticity of the posted documents. City officials have said they closed off Babuk’s entry point into the police computer system.
The most recent data dump contained some information related to street crews and also raw intelligence on threats following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Police declined to say Monday whether they think the man pictured in a tweet from the department had merely accessed the dark web postings, or was more deeply involved with the hack, and whether any new or damaging information had been posted.
Anyone with information about the man is asked to call (202) 727-9099 or text 50411.
