The US Department of Veterans Affairs has admitted that
confidential information on up to 26.5 million former soldiers has
been stolen from the home of one of its data analysts.
The electronic data contained identifying information including
names, social security numbers and dates of birth and disability
ratings for the veterans and some spouses.
The information was stolen after a data analyst – who was not
authorised to take the records home – was burgled. The analyst is
now administrative leave pending an investigation by the FBI and
the department’s own Inspector General’s office.
The VA department said it was believed to be “unlikely” that
thieves targeted the data because they knew its contents. “It is
possible that they remain unaware of the information which they
posses or of how to make use of it,” the department said in a
public announcement.
Notification letters are being sent to veterans “to every extent
possible”, it added.
In March, a US Congress committee released a damning “report
card” on US government computer security, with the Department of
Veterans’ Affairs receiving the lowest possible grade – F – for the
second year running.
The Committee on Government Reform security report card is based
on reports by chief information officers in each government agency
on their compliance with the Federal Information Security
Management Act (Fisma).