FEMA has recently found itself in the news for the wrong reasons, with the revelation that it improperly released the personal information of survivors of 2017 hurricanes and wildfires to a contractor. Identified by the Homeland Security Department’s Office of the Inspector General, this breach is estimated to affect up to 2.3 million individuals, potentially exposing them to the risk of identity fraud or identity theft, as reported by Associated Press.
Since the breach was identified, FEMA has been working with the contractor to confirm whether the data may have been compromised, and to remove the shared data from the contractor’s system. Data shared included the last four digits of Social Security numbers, as well as bank names electronic funds transfer numbers and bank transit numbers. “FEMA’s goal remains protecting and strengthening the integrity, effectiveness, and security of our disaster programs that help people before, during, and after disasters,” said FEMA Press Secretary Lizzie Litzow in a statement.
Those potentially affected by the release of this personal data by FEMA include victims of the California wildfires, as well as Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.
Sources:
https://globalnews.ca/news/5087722/disaster-victims-fema-personal-information/
https://gizmodo.com/fema-breach-exposes-personal-data-and-banking-informati-1833508071
