Louisiana Joint Task Force Gator Serviceman Exposes SSNs Online
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 7, 2010Media Contact: Aaron Titus
(202) 681-1686
A fellow service member accidentally exposed the names, Social Security Numbers, rank, unit, and phone numbers of 78 service members in Louisiana Joint Task Force Gator were on his personal website for more than a year. Task force Gator served in New Orleans for several years after Hurricane Katrina, to help restore law and order and support the efforts of the local New Orleans police department.
The breach included members of the Louisiana National Guard's A CO 199TH, 3/156TH IN, 926TH, 199TH, 2/108 CAV, 159TH FW, A 256 BSTB, A & B BTRY 1/141 FA, 756TH ASM, 3673 MAINT, 1023rd, 927th MOB AUG, FSC 528TH, 926 ENG, FSC 527TH EN, 1084th Trans Co, 1021ST ENG, HHC 2/156TH IN, 3673rd, HHC 256TH IBCT, 139TH, 1020TH VERT, A & G 199TH, and 1083RD TRANS. The individual responsible for the breach, John Johnson, indicated that he was given this file to fulfill an assignment to call fellow Task Force Gator members in 2008, and did not realize that he had made a copy on your personal computer, nor that he had accidentally made a backed-up copy on his website. Mr. Johnson restricted access to the website immediately upon being informed of the breach. He also agreed to inform the Louisiana Air National Guard of the breach.
According to the Excel file properties, the document was created on February 6, 2008 and last modified on April 28, 2008. The author is "tiger.chaplain," and the file was last modified by "crystal.langlinais" of the "LA State Military Dept."
Individuals affected by this exposure should immediately visit www.nationalidwatch.org and search for their names, to confirm what types of personal information were exposed. NationalIDWatch.org has a list of recommended steps victims should take.
About NationalIDWatch.org
National ID Watch is a search engine for personal information breaches. Sponsored by the Washington, DC non-profit Liberty Coalition, NationalIDWatch.org provides more than a million free personalized Identity Exposure Reports™ as a public service.
Each Identity Exposure Report (IXR) documents what types of personal information were exposed (such as Social Security Numbers, Birth Dates, Addresses, etc.), without revealing them. Each IXR also details the situation surrounding each exposure, and contact information of those responsible for the breach. Armed with this information, victims can further investigate, take action, or correct harm.