Why it matters: NASA's recent disclosure further highlights the fact that even the most advanced government agencies are prone to data breaches. As high-value targets, it's these types of agencies that should have ironclad security.
NASA in a recent internal memo detailed a security incident in which personally identifiable information on current and former employees may have been compromised.
The memo, dated December 18 and shared by SpaceRef, notes that NASA cybersecurity personnel launched an investigation into the matter on October 23, 2018. The team determined that information from one of the compromised servers contained Social Security numbers and other personally identifiable information on some who were employed from July 2006 to October 2018.
NASA said it took immediate action to secure the servers and is working with federal cybersecurity partners to determine the scope of the incident and identify potentially affected employees. The agency didn't say how many individuals may have been impacted but did highlight that it doesn't believe any missions were jeopardized.
Once identified, impacted employees will be offered identity protection services and related resources, the memo states.
As we've come to realize over the years, several government agencies are ill-equipped to thwart potential security incidents. Earlier this month, an audit of five US Ballistic Missile Defense System locations found most of them had major security failures.
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