Hacker nabs Air Force personnel data

A hacker gained access into an Air Force personnel system and accessed individual information on about half of its officers and “a handful” of its noncommissioned officers, service officials confirmed today.

A hacker used an airman’s log-in information to access the online Assignment Management System (AMS) and download data from it. The Air Force has started notifying more than 33,000 service personnel of the security breach, according to a statement.

The Air Force Personnel Center detected high activity on one person’s AMS account in June and alerted service and federal investigators. AMS has assignment preferences and career management information, and contains birth dates and Social Security numbers. It does not hold personal addresses, phone numbers and specific information on dependents.

“We notified the individuals involved, outlining what happened and how they can best insulate themselves from this potential risk,” said Maj. Gen. Tony Przybyslawski, commander of the Center. He said the center took steps to increase system security and to work with service agencies to identify vulnerabilities.

Air Force officers can log in at www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/vs to see if their information was compromised. The service will call the enlisted members whose information the hackers viewed.