The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) has investigated recent claims by a well-known ransomware group, Hunters International, regarding the theft of sensitive data and has confirmed that the data is not from a new or undisclosed incident. According to Brady McCarron, a spokesperson for the Marshals Service, the agency is fully aware of the situation and has reviewed the materials posted online.
On Monday, Hunters International released 386 GB of data on the dark web, claiming it included files related to gangs, FBI documents, case-specific information, operational data, and more. However, the USMS determined that the data appears identical to information stolen during a ransomware attack on the agency last year, and not from any recent breach.
Sources familiar with the leaks corroborated this assessment, noting that the data was indeed from the 2023 ransomware attack on the Marshals Service. At the time, the agency had labeled the incident as a “major incident,” although the identity of the ransomware group behind the attack remained unknown, and no group publicly took credit.
The Justice Department, which oversees the USMS, declined to comment on the recent developments. The U.S. Marshals Service is tasked with various critical law enforcement duties, including managing the federal witness protection program, safeguarding judges, and transporting prisoners.
Despite the resurfacing of the stolen data, it remains unclear how Hunters International obtained it. McCarron declined to speculate on future actions or the ongoing investigation into last year’s hack, which is still active.
Hunters International has shared screenshots allegedly showing stolen data related to gangs, active cases, confidential files, electronic surveillance, and FBI-related documents. The group is reportedly accepting monetary offers for the information until August 30, though the Marshals Service has not commented on whether they have received any ransom demands.
The Hunters International group is notorious for its cyberattacks, including those on a prominent cancer center in Seattle and a shipbuilder for the U.S. Navy. The group’s alarming tactics have included sending extortion messages directly to patients of the cancer center, threatening them individually to extract ransoms. The group’s capabilities were bolstered after taking control of the infrastructure and source code from the Hive ransomware gang, which was disrupted by the FBI last year.
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