City of Chicago Emails Stolen During Data Transfer To Law Firm

CHICAGO — A group of City of Chicago emails were stolen during a data transfer to a third-party law firm, the city said Friday in a statement.

While transferring files to the Jones Daily law firm, email messages sent or received by four former city employees over the past two years were hacked. The city's physical computers and network system were not compromised, officials said.

It is still unclear how many emails were taken and when exactly during the transfer the breach occurred.

"While the City is not aware of any fraud that might have resulted from this event, it has taken the matter very seriously and responded accordingly," a news release said.

Chicago officials notified the FBI of the breach, which is usual in hacking incidents. While no documents have been released from the recent breach, the city warned residents that "hackers of government-related materials are known to manipulate and alter illegally obtained emails and documents."

The Jones Daily law firm is handling the investigation into the illegal raid on Anjanette Young's home. The city would not confirm if the records being transferred were related to that investigation.

"Reporting on materials compromised during a third-party vendor data transfer makes all of us less safe and encourages future bad actors to use nefarious means to gain information," the city said.