London: The names and contact details of around 100,000 UK police officers have surfaced on the dark web after cybercriminals breached a key law enforcement database. This breach exposes officers who have spent years tracking criminals to the very threats they investigate.

According to Anadolu Agency, the leak, reported late Sunday, follows a broader cyber campaign that also compromised data from the Ministry of Defense, the Home Office, the National Crime Agency (NCA), and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). The Times reported on the extensive nature of this cyberattack.

The latest breach comes just days after hackers targeted the Department for Education (DfE), exposing more than 500,000 records. Hackers revealed police officers' force affiliations after breaching the Police National Legal Database (PNLD), an online legal resource used by Home Office police forces across the UK.

Authorities believe the cybercriminal group ExfilSquad was behind the attack, which is part of a series of recent breaches targeting Western institutions. One staff member whose details were leaked expressed concern over the personal risk posed by the breach, especially given their past experiences dealing with serious organized crime.

The DfE hack resulted in 607,000 pieces of data being published on the dark web, believed to have been carried out for financial reasons. The hacking group warned online that once data is posted, it remains in the public eye indefinitely, emphasizing the financial costs of data leaks.

A source noted that most police officers have used the legal database at some point during their careers to carry out routine policing duties. The database is a vital tool for police forces across England and Wales, where 145,550 full-time officers are employed.