Missouri Sheriffs' Association website target of cyberattack

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri Sheriffs' Association has reportedly become the target of deliberate cyberattack that compromised the personal information of officers across the state.

Representatives for the sheriffs' association would not comment Monday, but a number of news outlets report that the association was one of 77 law enforcement groups that had their websites and severs hacked.

A loosely affiliated group of hackers calling themselves "AntiSec" are claiming responsibility for the attack.

Their actions led to the release of email records, passwords, social security numbers, phone numbers and addresses of more than 7,000 law enforcement officials. The information of anonymous crime tippers, inmates and arrestees was also reportedly released.

In a posting on behalf of AntiSec, the group says it was motivated by what it calls the "unjust persecution" of members of a like-minded group known as "Anonymous." Members of Anonymous have allegedly undertaken a number of high-profile attacks on websites in recent months, targeting such organizations as PBS, the CIA and the FBI.