Pentagon network breach compromised data of 2.8 million people — Ars Technica

In the United States, the Pentagon is notifying more than 2 million current and former military personnel about the theft of personal data following a months-long breach of one of its networks. As Ars Technica reports, the compromise affected records of 2.8 million people who are currently alive.

What data was stolen

According to a notification letter published on Reddit, the stolen records included Social Security numbers, names, addresses, gender, race, and occupational specialty. The latter category may be particularly valuable to foreign intelligence services, as it could help them identify military personnel of interest to them.

Since October 2025, the attackers had access to the system of the U.S. Department of Defense's Defense Manpower Data Center, which collects the department's personnel records. The center processes more than 60 million personal records concerning military personnel, civilian employees, contractors, retirees, veterans, and their family members.

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Another incident involving government employee data

The Department of Defense did not disclose how its security systems were breached, whether officials had contacted those responsible for the attack, or whether the attackers demanded a ransom. Department representatives said the stolen data had not been improperly used, but did not explain what this conclusion was based on.

The incident occurred after the extortion group ShinyHunters claimed it had breached FBI systems and stolen records of thousands of current or former bureau employees. According to Reuters, the positions listed in those records included ones related to investigations involving China and Russia. ShinyHunters said it did not plan to disclose this information. FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director Brett Leatherman urged members of the group to surrender after Dutch police arrested one of its members.