Thousands of files containing the personal information and expertise of Americans with classified and up to Top Secret security clearances have been exposed by an unsecured Amazon server, potentially for most of the year.
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Thousands of files containing the personal information and expertise of Americans with classified and up to Top Secret security clearances have been exposed by an unsecured Amazon server, potentially for most of the year.The files have been traced back to TigerSwan, a North Carolina-based private security firm. But in a statement on Saturday, TigerSwan implicated TalentPen, a third-party vendor apparently used by the firm to process new job applicants.
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Found on an insecure Amazon S3 bucket without the protection of a password, the cache of roughly 9,400 documents reveal extraordinary details about thousands of individuals who were formerly and may be currently employed by the US Department of Defense and within the US intelligence community.Other documents reveal sensitive and personal details about Iraqi and Afghan nationals who have cooperated and worked alongside US military forces in their home countries, according to the security firm who discovered and reviewed the documents. Between 15 and 20 applicants reportedly meet this criteria.
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Many of the files are timestamped and indicate that they were uploaded to the server in mid-February. Gizmodo has yet to confirm for how long the data was left publicly accessible, information only accessible to Amazon and the server’s owner.“A cursory examination of some of the exposed resumes indicates not merely the varied and elite caliber of many of the applicants as experienced intelligence and military figures, but sensitive, identifying personal details,” UpGuard said in a statement.
Source: Data Breach Exposes Thousands of Job Seekers Citing Top Secret Government Work [Updated]
Robin Edgar
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