Pentagon breach exposed personnel data, including SSNs

What happened

A Pentagon personnel data breach exposed Social Security numbers and military or civilian employment information tied to 2.76 million living U.S. military and civilian personnel, a Pentagon official confirmed to Fox News. Records belonging to another 294,000 deceased people were also exposed.

Unauthorized users accessed the unencrypted files from October 2025 through July 2026. The access occurred through a file-sharing system connected to the Pentagon’s personnel database, leaving the records exposed for months before the vulnerability was identified.

Discovery and notification

The Defense Manpower Data Center discovered the file-sharing vulnerability on July 16. The Pentagon notified affected individuals on Sept. 18, after the unauthorized access period ended in July.

The department said it had no indication that the exposed information had been misused. That statement addresses known misuse, while the confirmed breach establishes that unauthorized users could access files containing sensitive identifying and employment information.

What comes next

The Sept. 18 notices were the Pentagon’s direct communication to people whose records were affected. Further Pentagon updates may address whether evidence of misuse emerges and whether the number of affected records changes from the disclosed totals.

The response may also include more information about the file-sharing vulnerability and the steps taken after the Defense Manpower Data Center found it. The Pentagon has identified the access period, the discovery date, the notification date and the categories of information exposed.