Personal data belonging to more than 45,000 employees and retirees of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was stolen after hackers broke into their computer servers. The FAA told its employees that they had just last week discovered that an unidentified intruder illegally accessed their server and then pilfered files containing names employee and retiree names and Social Security numbers.
The good news was air safety was never jeopardized.
"The server that was accessed was not connected to the operation of the air traffic control system or any other FAA operational system, and the FAA has no indication those systems have been compromised in any way," the statement said.
Attempted scams and data breaches continue to multiply as the economy worsens. In fact, news of this latest government data breach comes a day after President Obama announced an immediate 60-day review of how the federal government handles their cyber security .
Though it's true that criminals like to hack into large databases, for the obvious reasons, it's important for all of us to know how to handle our own computer security needs. Over the holidays I received a visit from uninvited guests...some not-so-nice hackers who for some reason, decided to hack into my blog and edit my words and links. I am still recovering from the damage caused by my lack of sufficient security measures at the time.
See a few earlier blogs for tips and safety measures you can take to secure your computer, and stored data, from cyber criminals;
Protect your computer from hackers -before it's too late
Virus scanners may detect problems -but they can't prevent them.
The good news was air safety was never jeopardized.
"The server that was accessed was not connected to the operation of the air traffic control system or any other FAA operational system, and the FAA has no indication those systems have been compromised in any way," the statement said.
Attempted scams and data breaches continue to multiply as the economy worsens. In fact, news of this latest government data breach comes a day after President Obama announced an immediate 60-day review of how the federal government handles their cyber security .
Though it's true that criminals like to hack into large databases, for the obvious reasons, it's important for all of us to know how to handle our own computer security needs. Over the holidays I received a visit from uninvited guests...some not-so-nice hackers who for some reason, decided to hack into my blog and edit my words and links. I am still recovering from the damage caused by my lack of sufficient security measures at the time.
See a few earlier blogs for tips and safety measures you can take to secure your computer, and stored data, from cyber criminals;
Protect your computer from hackers -before it's too late
Virus scanners may detect problems -but they can't prevent them.
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