Fergie's Tech Blog

Union: Hacker Broke Into FAA Computers

An AP newswire article by Joan Lowy, via MSNBC, reports that:

Hackers broke into the Federal Aviation Administration's computer system last week, accessing the names and national identification numbers of 45,000 employees and retirees, a union leader says.

Tom Waters, president of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3290, said FAA officials briefed union leaders Monday about the security breach.

FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown confirmed the agency's computers were hacked last week.

Waters said union leaders were told hackers gained access to two files. One file had the names and Social Security numbers of 45,000 employees and retirees on the FAA's rolls as of February 2006. Social Security is the U.S. government-directed pension system, and in the absence of a national identity card, other people's social security numbers can be used to steal identities for illicit purposes.

Waters said the other file contained medical information that was encrypted.

posted by Fergie @ 2/09/2009 05:42:00 PM