DOJ firearms agency says hackers breached system containing investigation targets
ATF confirmed a cyberattack on a standalone system containing investigation target data, calling it a major incident; Qilin listed ATF on its leak site.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) confirmed a cyberattack on a standalone computer system containing information about targets of ATF investigations, with no connection to case management, laboratory, or eForms systems. The agency designated the breach a major incident and immediately terminated connections, initiating incident response and forensics. The Qilin ransomware gang added ATF to its leak site without providing stolen data samples. Qilin was the second most active ransomware gang in July 2026 with 127 reported attacks, and has previously hit Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Asahi, and Palau's government.
- ATF designates breach of standalone investigation-target system as major incident
- Qilin ransomware listed ATF on its leak site with no stolen data samples shown
- No impact on ATF mission systems including eForms and case management
- Justice Department is investigating the cyberattack
- Qilin ranked second most active ransomware gang in July 2026 with 127 attacks
- Threat actors
- Qilin
- Victims
- ATF
- Countries
- United States
From the original article
2 min read at therecord.media
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) confirmed that it recently experienced a cyberattack, calling the breach a “major incident.” The agency, housed within the Department of Justice, appeared on the leak site of the Qilin ransomware gang on Wednesday.
therecord.media
A short excerpt; the article and its images belong to the publisher. Summary, key facts and assessment above are AI-written from the article and can be wrong.