Web Extra: Data exposures mount up

The list of federal agencies experiencing data breaches continues to grow. Here is a list of major breaches reported in the past year.

June 2006: Energy Department officials acknowledged at a congressional hearing that someone hacked into the agency eight months ago and stole data on 1,500 employees and contractors, including their Social Security numbers.

June 2006: Internal Revenue Service officials reported that while in transit, an employee lost a laptop computer with the personal data of about 291 employees and job applicants on it. The information included fingerprints, names, Social Security numbers and birthdates.

May 2006: Department of Veterans Affairs officials disclosed that a thief took the personal data of 26.5 million veterans from a VA employee's home. The employee had the information, including birthdates and Social Security numbers, on a laptop computer and a portable device that the thief stole.

August 2005: Air Force officials notified more than 33,000 service members that someone stole personal information from the online Assignment Management System. A hacker used a legitimate user ID and password to access the personnel system.

June 2005: The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. informed employees that in early 2004, an unauthorized person accessed current and former employee information, including names, birthdates, salaries, Social Security numbers and length of service.