El Cerrito, a city in California, is looking into a possible data theft after a ransomware gang added the city's government to its list of victims. The LockBit group added 15 victims to its leak site, which has more than 25,000 residents and is located roughly 10 minutes north of Oakland. We are aware that cybercriminals have threatened to post information to a website they run outside of the traditional internet after allegedly stealing data from a few City of El Cerrito computers. We are currently monitoring the statements made by the unauthorised actor to determine their veracity, and are collaborating with third-party cybersecurity experts and law enforcement on this subject.

The computer systems of California City were targeted by a ransomware attack in May end 2021. The attack blocked employees from using emails or other computer resources and disrupted the systems. The company immediately hold a high-level meeting to resolve the issue and restore the computer systems.