Hacker taps into US military database
A suspected hacker tapped into a US military database containing social security numbers and other personal information for 33,000 Air Force officers and some enlisted staff.
That figure represents about half of the officers in the USAF but no identity theft had been reported as of early today, said Tech Sgt James Brabenec, a spokesman at Randolph Air Force Base in Texas.
“We are doing everything we can to catch and prosecute those responsible,” Maj Gen Tony Przybyslawski said.
Social security numbers, birth dates and other information was accessed some time in May or June, apparently by someone with the password to the air force computer system, Brabenec said.
On Friday, the people affected were notified of steps they could take to protect their identity, he said.
The military, while protecting classified information, has had trouble protecting data about its people, a computer expert told The Washington Post, which first reported the incident.
“They have historically done much better at protecting operational systems than at protecting administrative systems,” said John Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org.
