Pentagon breach exposed sensitive data on nearly 3 million people

Key Points:

• A breach of the Pentagon's Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) exposed sensitive personal information, including Social Security numbers and job details, affecting 2.76 million living and 294,000 deceased military personnel.
• The unauthorized access occurred between October 2025 and July 2026 before the vulnerability was discovered and remediated, with no evidence so far of data misuse; affected individuals are being offered identity protection and credit monitoring.
• The DMDC holds over 60 million personnel records for active-duty, reserve troops, civilian employees, contractors, retirees, veterans, and military family members, making the breach a significant national security concern.
• Separately, the FBI is responding to a breach of its job application website, FBIJobs.gov, where sensitive information of employees may have been compromised; the hacking group shinyhunters claimed it would not release the data, stating their motives were not financially driven.
• The FBI has notified impacted employees, advised caution against suspicious contacts, and cautioned against media engagement, emphasizing internal briefings and security measures to protect affected personnel.