A recent cyberattack targeting the **Police National Legal Database (PNLD)**, a crucial online legal resource for UK law enforcement, has exposed contact data for more than 100,000 police officers and other criminal justice personnel. The intrusion, detected on Sunday, July 26, was swiftly claimed by the **ExfilSquad** data extortion group, which asserts it exfiltrated 135,000 contact records. **PNLD** has served the 43 Home Office police forces in England and Wales, as well as the **British Transport Police**, for over three decades. It also operates 'Ask the Police,' a public-facing website providing answers to common policing and legal queries. ### Data Compromised In a statement, **PNLD** confirmed that the breach exposed full names, organizations, and email addresses of police officers, staff, criminal justice professionals, and government partners. Additionally, names and email addresses of 'Ask the Police' users who submitted questions through the platform were also compromised. The incident is currently under investigation with the assistance of cybersecurity experts and the **National Crime Agency (NCA)**. Importantly, no evidence has been found to suggest that passwords or other security credentials were compromised. **PNLD** clarified that no confidential information related to victims, witnesses, or offenders was held on the affected systems, and thus no such data was impacted. "All affected organizations were contacted in the days following the incident and provided with further information and guidance. The **Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)** has also been notified," **PNLD** stated. ### ExfilSquad's Claims The **ExfilSquad** data extortion group took responsibility for the attack, publishing sample data to substantiate its claims. The threat actor is demanding a ransom to prevent the release of the remaining stolen data. **ExfilSquad** alleges it stole 1.9 GB of data from **PNLD**, comprising approximately 135,000 records. According to the group, this includes information belonging to 114,000 **PNLD** subscribers and 21,000 'Ask the Police' users.  **ExfilSquad** is the same threat actor recently linked to an attack on American semiconductor company **Analog Devices**. While **PNLD** has confirmed the breach and the publication of contact details, it has not publicly attributed the intrusion or disclosed the specific method by which attackers gained access.