After A Ransomware Attack, The LA Housing Authority's Data Was Compromised

The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) was hit by a ransomware attack and its data were leaked to the dark web earlier this week, according to media reports.

According to a BleepingComputer report, the state-chartered organization that provides low-income families with affordable housing in Los Angeles recently published a breach notice detailing a ransomware attack that occurred on December 31, 2022.

When the company’s IT team discovered the intrusion, they were forced to shut down the servers and investigate further.

After a year of lurking

The investigation, which was completed a month and a half later (on February 13, 2023), revealed that the threat actors may have had full access to the target network and its endpoints for a year (January 15, 2022 – December 31, 2022).

After a full year of infiltration, the hackers stole a wide range of sensitive customer data.

Full names, SSNs, dates of birth, passport numbers, driver’s license numbers, state ID numbers, tax ID numbers, military ID numbers, government-issued ID numbers, credit/debit card numbers, financial account numbers, health insurance information, and medical information are all included.

The organization also said it notified affected customers by email, instructed them on how to monitor their accounts, place fraud alerts, and report potential identity theft.

On the day the breach was spotted, the infamous LockBit 3.0 ransomware gang published samples of the stolen data on its leaked website, claiming responsibility for the attack. It also threatened to release the entire batch, unless its (undefined) ransom demands were met.

The group leaked the entire database on January 27, according to BleepingComputer, but the link became inactive a month and a half later. According to the publication, no evidence exists that any other threat actors obtained this data.