Kingston Police wraps up probe into 160 GB cyber attack data breach

Kingston Police have closed their internal investigation into a January 2025 cyber attack in which a hacker extracted 160 GB of data. Hundreds of thousands of records may be affected.

Kingston Police close internal probe after hacker stole 345,000 documents in 2025 breach

Kingston Police have concluded their internal investigation into a cyber attack that took place on 1 January 2025, kingstondaily.ca reports.

According to investigators, a hacker used compromised account credentials to access the police network via a VPN application, extracting 160 GB of data — amounting to 345,000 documents — before the system was shut down. The stolen files included records related to criminal courts, provincial offense notices, bail hearings, driver's licences, and spreadsheets, among other materials.

Investigators said they were unable to determine how the credentials were originally obtained. However, they were able to make contact with the hacker, who agreed to delete the stolen data. Kingston Police, along with the OPP's cybersecurity unit and law enforcement agencies internationally, have since been monitoring the dark web and say none of the compromised data has been observed circulating online.

The breach is believed to potentially affect individuals who made court appearances between 2009 and 2024, received a provincial offense notice between 2012 and 2024, appeared on a bail hearing list, interacted with a Kingston Police officer, or submitted personal information to Kingston Police during that period. Current and former Kingston Police officers are also among those who may be affected.

While investigators say the data is not likely to be misused, they advise those potentially affected to monitor bank accounts, credit cards, and government agency records for any irregularities.

Source: Google News JM — Kingston