Half of AF Officer Corps Records Hacked

Social Security numbers, birth dates, marital status, number of children, and other private data for some 33,000 Air Force officers and a small number of Airmen were accessed without authorization from the Air Force’s Assignment Management System’s database in May or June. Officials at the Air Force Personnel Center at Randolph Air Force Base believe the hacker used a stolen password and log-in information. As soon as the Air Force discovered the break in, officials stopped further access and took steps to increase security. On Aug. 18, personnel officials began notifying those at risk and explaining how to protect themselves and their credit. No financial records were exposed and no cases of identity theft have been linked to the intrusion. A joint investigation with several federal law enforcement agencies is ongoing. At press time the hacker had not been identified.