Army commands databases hacked, info of 36k accessed

Databases belonging to various Army commands were hacked, allowing thousands of individuals' sensitive information to be accessed by attackers.

How many victims? Around 36,000 people

What type of personal information? Names, birth dates and places, Social Security numbers, home addresses and salaries.

What happened? During the breach, which was discovered Dec. 6, information of Fort Monmouth visitors was taken, as well as personnel files from the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) Software Engineering Center, which provides services equipment and electronic system support for the Army.

What was the response? The hacked databases were taken, and currently remain, offline. Those affected will receive free credit monitoring services for a year provided by the Army. The CECOM Chief Information Office is also answering questions by phone.

Details: Those impacted may include the commands CECOM and Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR), which were both located at Fort Monmouth before it closed in September 2011. The commands are now located at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Arberdeen, Md.

Source: www.app.com, Asbury Park Press, “Hackers take data of 36,000 people at fort,” Dec. 28, 2012.