Pentagon data breach exposes sensitive information on more than 3 million people
A breach of a Pentagon personnel system exposed sensitive information belonging to more than 3 million people, including Social Security numbers and details about jobs held by military and civilian personnel, ABC News reported, citing a U.S. defense official.
he breach affected 2.76 million living people and another 294,000 who are deceased, according to the official.
The exposed information came from a Defense Manpower Data Center, or DMDC, system. The center is one of the Pentagon's main repositories for personnel records and holds information on active-duty and reserve troops, civilian employees, contractors, retirees, veterans and military family members.
The DMDC maintains more than 60 million personnel records.
The system experienced unauthorized access by a small number of users between October 2025 and July 2026, the defense official said.
The vulnerability was patched after it was discovered in July.
The scope and sensitivity of the exposed information could raise national security concerns because the files included details about the jobs performed by military and civilian personnel, ABC News reported.
Defense officials said they have found no evidence so far that the exposed information has been misused.
People affected by the breach are being offered identity protection and credit monitoring services.
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