Greater Manchester Police officers’ particulars stolen in cyber assault

An investigation is underway after particulars of 1000’s of Greater Manchester Police officers and employees had been hacked, the pressure has mentioned.

Details on identification badges and warrant playing cards, together with names, pictures of people and identification numbers or police collar numbers, had been stolen in a ransomware assault on the pressure’s provider of ID badges.

Assistant Chief Constable Colin McFarlane of GMP mentioned: “We are aware of a ransomware attack affecting a third-party supplier of various UK organisations, including GMP, which holds some information on those employed by GMP.

“At this stage, it’s not believed this data includes financial information.”

He added: “We understand how concerning this is for our employees so, as we work to understand any impact on GMP, we have contacted the Information Commissioners Office and are doing everything we can to ensure employees are kept informed, their questions are answered, and they feel supported.

“This is being treated extremely seriously, with a nationally-led criminal investigation into the attack.”

GMP mentioned no house addresses of officers or any monetary details about people had been stolen within the hack.

The pressure, like many others, makes use of covert officers and has a sizeable counter-terror unit.

An inner GMP employees e mail issued on Wednesday, in keeping with the Manchester Evening News, mentioned there is no such thing as a indication any GMP knowledge has been put on-line or shared any additional.

Last month the Metropolitan Police was additionally placed on alert after the same safety breach involving one in all its suppliers.

GMP mentioned the National Crime Agency is main on the investigation into the ransomware hack.

Mike Peake, chair of Greater Manchester Police Federation, mentioned: “Our colleagues are undertaking some of the most difficult and dangerous roles imaginable to catch criminals and keep the public safe.

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“To have any personal details potentially leaked out into the public domain in this manner – for all to possibly see – will understandably cause many officers concern and anxiety.

“We are working with the force to mitigate the dangers and risks that this breach could have on our colleagues.”

The National Crime Agency (NCA) confirmed they’re investigating the hack of GMP together with the identical assault on the Met Police.

A spokesman mentioned: “The National Crime Agency is leading the criminal investigation into a cyber incident affecting a company which supplies ID card services to a number of UK organisations.

“We are working alongside the NCSC and law enforcement partners to fully understand the impact of the incident and support those organisations whose data has been accessed.”

Elizabeth Baxter, head of cyber investigations on the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), mentioned: “Police officers and staff expect their information to be kept secure, and are right to be concerned when that doesn’t happen.

“This incident has been reported to us, and we’ll now be looking into what happened, and asking questions on behalf of anyone affected.

“Organisations must look after employee information, particularly in sectors where the impact of a data breach could be greater. The ICO works to support organisations to get this right so people can feel confident that their information is secure.”