Main points
- Hackers stole 7.7 terabytes of Los Angeles Police Department data, including personal data that was stored on a third-party system of the city attorney's office.
- The attack is linked to the World Leaks group, which is a rebranding of the Hunters International cybercrime network known for ransomware attacks.
Large-scale leak in the USA / Depositphotos
A major scandal has erupted in the United States over the leak of Los Angeles police data. Hundreds of thousands of files containing personal information, official documents, and internal investigation materials have become publicly available. The incident is already being called one of the most serious security breaches in the department's history.
This is reported by the TechCrunch portal.
What exactly did the hackers steal and how did it happen?
The cyberattack, first reported by American media, resulted in the leak of a huge amount of official information from the Los Angeles Police Department. According to preliminary estimates, it is 7.7 terabytes of data – more than 337 thousand individual files.
The leaked materials include police personnel files, internal investigation documents, and procedural materials related to criminal complaints. Of particular concern is that the files contain personal data: names of witnesses, confidential information, and even medical records.
The leak was partially confirmed by Emma Best, founder of the Distributed Denial of Secrets platform. She said she was able to view part of the archive, which was available on the hacker group's website for a while, but then disappeared without explanation.
The Los Angeles Police Department stressed that its own systems were not compromised. According to the official version, the entry point for the attack was a third-party digital storage system belonging to the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office. The police are currently working with that agency to access the compromised materials and assess the full scope of the incident.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the leak could be unprecedented. In the state of California, most police documents are classified, so their release – even partial – poses serious legal and security risks.
Who is behind the attack?
The attack is linked to the World Leaks group. It appeared in early 2025 and, according to experts, is a rebranding of the well-known cybercrime network Hunters International . In a short time, the new structure has already managed to carry out a number of attacks on organizations in various industries – from medicine to technology, including defense contractors and Fortune 500 companies.
Who are Hunters International?
This is a cybercriminal group that emerged in late 2023 and quickly became known for its ransomware attacks. They operated under the RaaS model, providing their tools to other hackers and receiving a cut of the ransoms. The group used a double blackmail tactic: not only encrypting victims' data, but also stealing it, threatening to publish it.
Targets included large companies, medical institutions, and government organizations around the world. CyberCare experts link Hunters International to former members of the Hive Ransomware Group. They announced their closure in 2025, but are likely to have reformatted into other projects, including the World Leaks group.