Los Angeles Housing Authority dealing with apparent cyberattack

LOS ANGELES - The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles announced Tuesday it is experiencing an apparent cyberattack that has disrupted its systems.

In a statement, the agency described the situation as a "cyber event" and did not specify the nature of the attack or what data may have been compromised. HACLA, the city's public housing authority, has a budget of more than $1 billion.

The ransomware group Lockbit claimed to have hacked the agency, according to TechCrunch. Screenshots posted online indicate that more than 15 terabytes of files were stolen, with a listed deadline of Jan. 12 for an apparent ransom.

Courtney Gladney of HACLA said the agency was working with "law enforcement and forensics to investigate the incident." A statement from the agency said that HACLA was working to "confirm its impact to our systems, and to restore full functionality securely to our environment as soon as possible."

Los Angeles Housing Crime and Public Safety Technology