The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has revealed that it suffered a security breach that resulted in the theft of personal data from about 46,000 war veterans. Officials say the breach occurred after hackers gained access to an online application managed by the VA's Financial Services Center (FSC) .
The Department of Veterans Affairs announced that hackers used social engineering techniques and exploited the authentication protocol to gain access to the FSC application and then divert VA payments intended for healthcare providers for the medical care and treatment of U.S. war veterans.
While officials are still investigating the incident, the Department of Veterans Affairs believes the hackers may also have gained access to records , which include sensitive and confidential information, such as Social Security numbers.
Additionally, the Department stated in a press release that to protect these veterans, the FSC is notifying individuals affected by the security breach, including relatives of those who have died, that their personal information has been compromised.
The Department is also offering free access to services to those whose Social Security numbers may have been exposed following the security breach. Once the breach was discovered, the FSC application was taken offline and the Department took steps to prevent and mitigate any harm to these individuals. VA officials also said they do not plan to restore the application until the Department’s IT Office completes a security review.
It is worth noting that this is not the first time that the Department of Veterans Affairs has revealed that it has suffered a security breach. In 2006, the largest personal information breach ever occurred was revealed – unknown persons stole a laptop and an external hard drive, which contained the personal records of 26 million veterans, their spouses and “active duty” individuals. The incident occurred during a robbery at the home of a Department employee who was authorized to work from home. Later, however, the Inspector General stated that the perpetrator was found and found guilty of his act.
