(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — The Federal Aviation Administration (www.faa.gov/) revealed that hackers breached its network and gained access to the private information of its employees, which is raising concerns about the agency’s data security.
The FAA issued a statement on its website that said that the hackers opened 48 files, two of which contained the personal information of 45,000 employees and retirees as of February 2006.
The hackers were believed to have copied the data from the files.
Authorities are currently investigating the breach.
“The server that was accessed was not connected to the operation of the air traffic control system or any other FAA operational system, and the FAA has no indication those systems have been compromised in any way,” said the FAA.
The FAA said that it is trying to prevent similar incidents and that it has come up with short-term and long-term actions to heighten its network security.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association president Pat Forrey told AV Web that it had previously warned the FAA about its data security issues prior to the breach, and says the agency rejected its concerns when it tried to bring it up in contract negotiations.
Forrey criticized the FAA for waiting “an entire week before notifying the unions that its members’ personal information had been breached by a hacker.”
Online data breaches continue to be a significant issue across all sectors.
Last month, attackers breached the database of job search website Monster Worldwide, gaining access to the email addresses, names and phone numbers of Monster users.
California Senator Dianne Feinstein recently reintroduced new legislation on the issues of data breaches and protection of individual privacy.
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