TRICARE, the armed forces’ managed health-care program, reported Sept. 14 that a security breach could have compromised personal information for as many as 4.9 million military clinic and hospital patients in the San Antonio, Texas, area. The breach involved patient data from 1992 to Sept. 7, 2011. Data in question could include Social Security numbers, addresses, telephone numbers, and some medical-record information such as laboratory tests and prescriptions. No financial data or credit card numbers were compromised. Both TRICARE and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), the company that reported the breach, say the threat is minimal. Nevertheless, both entities are conducting thorough reviews of security procedures. They also promise to notify personally any individuals who may have had data compromised. Persons who wish to monitor their credit can do so by using a free Federal Trade Commission Web site, at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/consumers/defend.html.
