Cybersecurity
Pentagon says 2.8 million records were stolen
The Pentagon said a months-long intrusion into a Defence Manpower Data Center system exposed personnel records for 2.8 million living people, while the article also noted a separate FBI breach claim by ShinyHunters.
- The Pentagon said it was notifying more than 2 million people who had served in the military, or were still serving, that their personnel files had been taken in a months-long intrusion.
- The stolen records came from a system run by the Defense Manpower Data Center, and the Pentagon said 2.8 million living individuals were affected.
- A notice posted to Reddit said the files included personal identifiers and details about service members’ occupational categories.
- Last month, ShinyHunters said it had hacked FBI systems and taken records of thousands of current or former employees, and Reuters reported that the files included job titles linked to China or Russia investigations.
- An FBI official this week called on ShinyHunters members to turn themselves in.
The Pentagon said it was telling more than 2 million people who had served in the military, or were still serving, that their personnel files had been taken in a breach that lasted for months. It said the records came from a system operated by the Defense Manpower Data Center.
A notice said to have been posted on Reddit listed personal identifiers and service-related details among the exposed material. The Pentagon said the compromise affected 2.8 million living individuals.
The article said this was the second recent breach to expose US government personnel information that could be useful to criminals or state intelligence services. It pointed to last month’s claim by ShinyHunters that it had entered FBI systems and taken files from thousands of current or former staff.
Reuters reported that those FBI records included job titles connected to work on China or Russia. The article said ShinyHunters said it did not plan to publish the data, and an FBI official urged group members to surrender.
Named in this story
Organisations
- ShinyHunters
- claimed it had breached FBI systems and taken employee records
Governments and agencies
- Pentagon
- said it was telling affected personnel about the breach
- Department of Defense
- held the personnel records involved
- Defense Manpower Data Center
- operated the compromised records system
- FBI
- was named in the earlier claimed breach and had an official urging members to surrender
How the source tells it
The register was cautionary and distrustful, with threat-focused wording about hostile actors and dismissive treatment of the group’s promises.
- alarm loaded language linked the stolen records to sensitive personal data and hostile states
- scepticism the piece dismissed the criminals’ assurances as unreliable