Hacker tries to ransom Bremerton Housing Authority data

Associated Press

BREMERTON — Officials in Bremerton say a hacker demanded ransom after accessing data on the housing authority website.

The Kitsap Sun reported that a hacker on Monday replaced the Bremerton Housing Authority’s home page with a picture from the TV show “South Park” and some German text. The IT department was able to recover the website.

Officials say the hacker emailed an IT employee Tuesday, demanding a payment of nearly $4,000. The hacker threatened to sell stolen data if the agency didn’t pay.

Executive Director Kurt Wiest says the housing authority reported the threat to the FBI and is preparing to go live with a more secure website.

Wiest says the compromised information was a database of client names and the last four digits of their Social Security numbers.