Pentagon Data Breach Exposed Information of Nearly 3 Million People, ABC News Says
ABC News has reported that unauthorized access to one of the U.S. Department of War’s databases exposed sensitive information about around three million military personnel and employees. Citing a U.S. defense official, the report said the data includes information on 2.76 million living people and 294,000 deceased individuals.
The official said one system within the Pentagon’s Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) was targeted by unauthorized access between October 2025 and July 2026. The leaked information included Social Security numbers and employment data belonging to military personnel and civilian employees, the official said, raising concerns about national security.
The defense official said a limited number of unauthorized users gained access to the data and that the security flaw was fixed after it was identified. The report did not provide further details about those behind the breach or how they gained access.
The report was published days after the hacking group Shiny Hunters claimed it had breached the FBI’s recruitment portal. The New York Times reported that the group said it obtained information including the names and addresses of former agents and job applicants, phone numbers, spouses’ names and some of their health data. According to the newspaper, the FBI confirmed the breach and has launched an investigation, but it is still unclear whether the intrusion occurred through the agency’s own systems or via an outside contractor.
