The Los Angeles Police Department has confirmed that it has been hacked, with the personal information of at least 20,000 people exposed. The department confirmed in a statement that it is "working with our city partners to better understand the extent and impact of the data breach, and is taking steps to ensure data is protected from any further intrusions."

The data breach exposed the names, dates of birth, email addresses and passwords (set up during job applications), as well as the last four digits of social security numbers. According to reports, at least 2,500 serving officers and 17,500 job applicants have been impacted. Los Angeles is currently investigating whether the data has been made publicly available or offered for sale.

A spokesperson for the city's mayor, Eric Garcetti, said that "the city has informed the individuals who may have been affected the city’s Information Technology Agency has added additional layers of security to guard against future events of this kind."

NBC Los Angeles reported that the alleged hacker had contacted the city last week, offering examples of the breach. "The LAPD told officers in the message they should monitor their personal financial accounts, get copies of their credit reports, and file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission."

There have been increasing reports of hacks on cities and city authorities in the U.S. Many of these are ransomware attacks, where systems are locked down until payment is made. That is not the case in this instance.

The LAPD's Protective League—the officers' labor union, issued a statement via its Facebook page urging an investigation and better protection in the future against such data breaches. "We also call upon the city," the union said, "to provide the necessary resources and assistance to any impacted officer who may become the victim of identity theft as a result of this negligence so that they may restore their credit and/or financial standing."

According to the LA Times, "the cyber attack highlights the vulnerability of government computer systems, with the city of Los Angeles subjected to billions of hacking attempts in the last five years—the theft of the data by 'a malicious third party' is believed to have happened on July 25, according to the email from the city personnel department."