Orange Countys DAs Office experiences data breach NBC Los Angeles

pHackers broke into the Orange County District Attorneys offices information technology system last week the DAs office announced Monday ppThe office did not specify whether any information was compromised but said in a press release that it took immediate action to shut down its cybersecurity infrastructure as soon as it learned of the breach Friday ppThe breach can take one to two weeks to investigate an unidentified official told City News Service No ransomware or virus has been identified at this time according to the official ppIn addition the OCDA implemented a series of protocols to ensure that the Orange County criminal justice system continues to function efficiently the DAs office said It added that its working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the US Attorneys office to find the perpetratorppThe OCDA said it coordinated with partner agencies and law enforcement entities to limit the damage Director of Public Affairs and Community Engagement for Orange Countys Sheriff Department Carrie Braun confirmed with CNS the successful shutdown of its email connection to the OCDA ppCyber breaches can be detrimental to governmental agencies Each state has its own course of action California requires agencies to notify residents about any data breach that may compromise their personal information ppGet Los Angeless latest local news on crime entertainment weather schools COVID cost of living and more Heres your goto source for todays LA newsppFurthermore entities that maintain their own notification procedure must continually update people affected by the breach as required by state law If a third party is involved they must notify the data owners or licensees immediately after discovering the unauthorized acquisition of informationppLocal and state agencies may also submit a request for federal investigations Once called upon the FBI mitigates the situation through threat response which is the criminal investigative pursuit of cyber actors to stop malicious activity ppThe FBI also provides asset response which means it assesses the vulnerability and scale of protection for compromised areas This involves reducing the impact to systems andor data strengthening recovering and restoring services identifying other entities at risk and assessing potential risk to the broader community ppThe DA is a public prosecutor with the power to investigate and prosecute crimes on behalf of constituentsppThe OCDA Office Bureau of Investigation is made up of 130 police investigators that assist prosecutors in trial by developing leads locating witnesses ensuring the safety of victims and witnesses writing and serving search warrants and investigating original cases the bureau says on its website The department also includes the assistance of 90 nonsworn employees  ppThe OCDA Science and Technology Unit further harnesses public information through its DNA Database Program which began in 2007 The database contains about 195 663 individual defendant DNA profiles used to solve cases by comparing crime scene DNA profiles according to the official website ppOther technology unit services include the Red Flags Conviction Integrity Program the Investigative Genetic Genealogy Program and the Body Worn Camera Program p