Hackers access personal information on Pentagon's TRICARE servers

[The Straight Story]

Hackers access personal information on TRICARE servers

By Daniel Pulliam
[e-mail]

Hackers gained access to the Pentagon's health insurance information systems, compromising the personal information of more than 14,000 people, the Defense Department announced Friday.

The intrusion of the TRICARE Management Activity public computer servers was discovered on April 5, but no information is available on when it occurred. A department official who requested anonymity said there was a delay of more than four weeks in releasing the information because of the time needed to determine the extent of the intrusion.

The hacked information included databases of names, Social Security numbers, the last four digits of credit card numbers, personal phone numbers, work and personal e-mail addresses and home addresses.

The Defense Criminal Investigative Service is participating in an investigation of the incident.

Assistant Defense Secretary for Health Affairs William Winkenwerder said the department responded swiftly to the intrusion, immediately implementing enhanced security controls throughout the network and installing additional monitoring tools to improve the security of data files and networks.

http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=33964&dcn=todaysnews

[MADem]

1. Fuckin' eh....incompetent bastards....

And they've got their crack crew of Barney Fifes, the DCIS, investigating??? Incredible...they need the FBI in there, NOW. Those idiots couldn't find their asses with both hands and a map.

In the meantime, some poor spouse of an E-6 with three kids, barely making it paycheck to paycheck, finds out that some asshole has gone hog wild on an identity theft spree in the interim.

Way to support the troops!

[insane_cratic_gal]

2. wonderful... wonder if my info got hacked

Tricare hasn't even notified anyone of this either. The first I heard of it.

[peacetalksforall]

3. I think it's wise to question everything formally realeased by

this administration, especially the Pentagon under Rumsfeld.

I'm sure they have many databases and this Tricare Mgmt Activity may be a contract company, but what if all database records developed and maintained for the Pentagon were hacked - meaning what about our records - the records of those of us who have made it in to the Poindexter databases? Since the NSA stuff appears to be handled by the Pentagon?

And what's with the phrasing -
.......TRICARE Management Activity public computer servers -
underlining PUBLIC COMPUTER SERVICES?

These people don't admit mistakes unless forced or unless it is to their advantage.