February 10th, 2009
FAA reports breach; employee data at risk
A server at the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration was illegally accessed online and personal identity information of employees was stolen, the agency said, according to a report by CNET.
Of the 50 files in question on the computer, two of them had personal data about more than 45,000 FAA employees and retirees who were on the FAA rolls as of three years ago, the FAA said in a statement released on Monday.
The server that was breached was not connected to the air traffic control system or other operational systems, according to the statement. The agency is notifying all affected employees by mail and is investigating the data theft.
The statement did not indicate when the breach occurred or when the FAA learned of it.
The FAA is the latest in a recent string of data breaches that has included Kaiser Permanente and payment processors Heartland Payment Systems and RBS WorldPay.
Andrew J. Nusca is an associate editor for ZDNet and SmartPlanet.
See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
