U.S. Department of Homeland Security admitted that 240,000 citizens information leak

US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed on Wednesday that the agency takes place personal information data breaches involving personally identifiable information of over 240,000 current and former employees of DHS. The agency said the divulged Homeland Security employee personal information includes name, social security number, date of birth, job title, level and place of work, etc.

Although the agency stressed that data was not stolen during cyber attacks and was not affected by malicious activity, it disclosed some details about how information was leaked. The agency said the files were discovered by a former OIG employee during a criminal investigation conducted in May last year.

The identity of the former employee was not disclosed and the focus of the criminal investigation was unknown. According to the agency, information such as names, social security numbers, date of birth, job title, level and place of work of DHS staff has been disclosed.

Why is it that it takes about seven months to notify the affected employees? The agency said on its website:

“a thorough privacy investigation, extensive forensic analysis of the compromised data, an in-depth assessment of the risk to affected individuals, and comprehensive technical evaluations of the data elements exposed.”

According to the US Department of Homeland Security, a large number of survey data are also at risk in addition to employee data. DHS said that it

“did not include any information about employees’ spouses, children, family members and/or close associates.”

Although DHS employees have been directly notified of data breaches, anyone with a reason to believe that their information has been compromised can contact AllClear ID for information protection on credit monitoring and identity.

Reference: cyberscoop