14 DAY TRIAL // The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has confirmed that one of its servers got hacked in October, with several employee details, including social security numbers, exposed to attackers.
In a notification published on December 18, NASA says it’s currently notifying employees whose details may have been compromised. An investigation has already started, but NASA says Social Security numbers and other personally identifiable information were stored on the breached server.
“Upon discovery of the incidents, NASA cybersecurity personnel took immediate action to secure the servers and the data contained within. NASA and its Federal cybersecurity partners are continuing to examine the servers to determine the scope of the potential data exfiltration and identify potentially affected individuals,” the agency says.
On the other hand, NASA notes that the investigation “will take time,” but emphasizes it has now become a “top agency priority.”
No word on the hacking group who breached the server
The agency claims there’s no indication that any mission was impacted by the breach, but it’s now reaching to all employees to let them know that certain information has been exposed to hackers.
“Those NASA Civil Service employees who were on-boarded, separated from the agency, and/or transferred between Centers, from July 2006 to October 2018, may have been affected,” it says.
All employees will be provided with additional services, including assistance for identity protection services, today’s announcement reads.
At this point, there are no details as to how the server was breached or what hacking group may be behind the incident. Given that the agency expects this investigation to take some time, don’t hold your breath for any info to be shared in the coming weeks, though NASA guarantees that even “the senior leadership” is actively involved in the process.
As with any hack, employees are recommended to keep an eye on any misuse of their details, and NASA recommends them to reach out the Enterprise Service Desk at 1-877-677-2123,