The Federal Aviation Administration notified 45,000 employees and retirees yesterday that files containing their personal data were hacked and their information was electronically stolen.
The hacker breached 48 FAA files, two of which contained the personal information. Only employees on the payroll as of the first week of February 2006 are affected. Those individuals will be notified by letter and law enforcement has been notified, FAA said.
In a statement FAA said:
The FAA is moving quickly to prevent any similar incidents and has identified immediate steps as well as longer-term measures to further protect personal information. The agency is also providing a toll-free number and information on the employee website for those who believe they may be affected by the breach.
Air traffic control systems and other FAA operational systems were not compromised in the breach, according to the agency.
