London Police Warned to Stay Vigilant Amid Major Data Breach

Greater London's Metropolitan Police have been warned that their information — names, ranks, ID numbers, vetting levels, and photos — was stolen by hackers in a breach that affects 47,000 officers and staff. 

The hackers broke into the IT systems of a contractor tasked with printing warrant cards and staff passes. And because senior officials and officers operating in top secrecy were affected, the National Crime Agency (NCA) has been brought into assess and investigate the situation.

The breach also exposed officers and counterterrorism police assigned to the royal family; undercover officers have also been pulled from the field.

"The company had access to names, ranks, photo, vetting levels and identification numbers for officers and staff. It did not hold personal information such as address, phone numbers or financial details," Metropolitan officials stated. This breach comes after a data leak earlier this month that put 10,000 Northern Ireland police officers at risk.