20260930 Datenklau im Pentagon

30.09.2026 Datenklau im Pentagon

Sensitive data from more than 3 million

Who’s still getting upset when highly personal data falls into the wrong hands almost daily at health insurance companies, in the Berlin administration, or at businesses? In the current case, the operator of the affected databases is the U.S. Department of Defense at the Pentagon. Over a period from October 2025 to July 16, 2026, hackers were able to access the personnel databases and extract the data of over 3 million people.

The data that was exposed included names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, contact information, gender, race, and military personnel details, including occupational specialties. Social Security numbers uniquely identify U.S. citizens, so they pose a long-term risk of identity theft.

In total, the databases contained the data of approximately 60 million current and former U.S. military personnel. Those affected are being offered one year of free credit monitoring and identity restoration. They have also been warned to monitor their finances and watch for correspondence related to their military service.

The relevant authorities are still searching for the identities of the hackers who gained access to the file-sharing system through a security vulnerability that allowed them to access files on an affected server.