Army National Guard latest to experience personal data breach

The Army National Guard is the latest to experience a breach of personal data. Officials said today the data involved in the breach includes soldiers' names, full Social Security numbers, dates of birth and home addresses.

The Guard says a contractor inadvertently sent files containing personal information to a non-accredited data center.

This latest incident, officials said, had nothing to do with the previous breach involving federal civilian employee personal information. However, the problem could affect all current and former Army National Guard members who entered that service since 2004.

Maj. Earl Brown, a spokesman for the National Guard Bureau, said, "The National Guard Bureau takes the control of personal information very seriously. ... The issue was identified and promptly reported, and we do not believe the data will be used unlawfully. This was not a hacking incident, in which the intent was to use data for financial gain. Nonetheless, the Guard believes that individuals potentially affected need to know about the breach and what actions they can take to protect themselves from potential identity theft."

To help potential victims of identity theft, the National Guard Bureau has set up a web page and a toll-free call center available at 877-276-4729 from 8am to 4pm EST, Monday through Friday.