Lost backup tapes affect 4.9 million current, former military
Backup tapes containing the personal information of nearly five million current and former U.S. soldiers, who received treatment at military clinics and hospitals, has gone missing.
Data on the backup tapes belonged to Tricare, a health benefits provider for military personnel, retirees and their dependents, but the information had been entrusted to Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC), a high-tech defense contractor, which reported the breach.
The compromised data belonged to 4.9 million people who, from 1992 to Sept. 7 of this year, sought care at military treatment facilities in the San Antonio, Texas area, according to a Tricare statement. The data included Social Security numbers, addresses and phone numbers, in addition to health assets such as clinical notes, lab test reports and prescription information.
