U.S. Marshals Service battles aftermath of 'major' security breach that compromised sensitive info: report

The U.S. Marshal Service was at the center of a recent security breach that occurred last week.

According to NBC News, multiple top-ranking officials from the federal law enforcement agency have shed light on the situation.

On Monday, February 27, U.S. Marshals Service spokesperson Drew Wade released a statement to NBC News where he confirmed the breach and offered brief details about what transpired.

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“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,” Wade said in his statement.

According to Wade, the specific date of the breach was February 17. At the time, the U.S. Marshal Service had "discovered a ransomware and data exfiltration event affecting a stand-alone USMS system."

Although there was data compromised, one official did confirm that the breach did not occur in the database that houses sensitive information about the Witness Protection Program. He also reiterated that "no one in the witness protection program is in danger because of the breach."

However, he also noted "the incident is significant, affecting law enforcement sensitive information pertaining to the subjects of Marshals Service investigations."

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Despite the setback from the breach, officials have managed to maneuver and incorporate alternative methods of operation to ensure the agency can continue its work.

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