Feb. 28 (UPI) -- The U.S. Marshals Service said it suffered a cyberattack attack that affected a computer system containing sensitive law enforcement information, its spokesman said.
U.S. Marshals Service spokesman Drew Wade said in a statement Monday to NBC News, which was the first to report on the breach, that the "ransomware and data exfiltration event" occurred Feb. 17.
The stand-along U.S. Marshals Service system was disconnected from the network, he said, adding that it is being investigated by the Justice Department.
The system affected contained legal process returns, administrative information and "personally identifiable information pertaining to subjects of USMS investigations, third parties and certain USMS employees," Wade said.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency defines ransomware as malicious software that encrypts files on a device, making them and the systems they rely upon unusable, and hackers demand a ransom in exchange for decryption.
Justice Department officials have classified the attack as "a major incident," Wade said.
President Joe Biden has launched several measures to shore up the United States' cybersecurity after a slew of high-profile ransomware attacks targeted the country early in his administration and at the end of the administration of former President Donald Trump.
Earlier this month, the FBI said it was investigating a malicious cyberattack on its computer network.
The federal agency told CNN that the incident was isolated and had been contained.
