http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/1700
AP_Agriculture_Hacker.html
By Libby Quaid
AP FOOD AND FARM WRITER
June 21, 2006
WASHINGTON -- A hacker broke into the Agriculture
Department's
computer system and may have obtained names, Social Security
numbers
and photos of 26,000 Washington-area employees and
contractors, the
department said Wednesday.
Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said the department will
provide
free credit monitoring for one year to anyone who might have
been
affected.
The break-in happened during the first weekend in June, the
department
said. Technology staff learned of the breach on June 5 and
told
Johanns the following day but believed personal information
was
protected by security software, the department said.
However, on further analysis, staff concluded that data on
current or
former employees might have been accessed and informed
Johanns on
Wednesday, according to the department.
The department said it notified law enforcement agencies.
Its
inspector general is investigating the break-in.
The information was used for staff or contractor badges in
Washington
and the surrounding area, spokeswoman Terri Teuber said.
Those who
might have been affected were notified by e-mail and were
being sent
letters.
People who believe they may be affected by the data breach
can go to
http://www.firstgov.gov
for more information. The Agriculture
Department has a toll-free number to call for information
about the
incident or about consumer-identity protections. The number,
1-800-FED-INFO (1-800-333-4636), is a call center that
operates from 8
a.m. to 9 p.m. EDT Monday through Saturday.
Other federal departments have acknowledged recently that
private
information had been compromised.
As many as 26.5 million people may have been affected by the
theft of
a laptop computer containing Veterans Affairs information
including
Social Security numbers and birth dates. The computer was
taken from
the home of a VA employee, and officials waited nearly three
weeks
before notifying veterans on May 22 of the theft.
Earlier this month, the Health and Human Services Department
discovered that personal information for nearly 17,000
Medicare
beneficiaries may have been compromised when an insurance
company
employee called up the data through a hotel computer and
then failed
to delete the file.
Social Security numbers and other information for nearly
1,500 people
working for the National Nuclear Security Administration may
have been
compromised when a hacker gained entry to an Energy
Department
computer system last fall. Officials said June 12 they had
learned
only recently of the breach.
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On the Net: Agriculture Department: http://www.usda.gov
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