US Defence Agency That Provides IT Support for Trump Compromised in ‘Data Breach’

The US Defence Information Systems Agency (DISA), which handles secure communications for President Donald Trump, admitted that some personal data in its network may have been compromised, according to DISA letters seen by Reuters.

The letters claimed that between May and July 2019, personal information may have been compromised in a “data breach” on a system hosted by DISA. The White House has not commented on the issue yet.

The letters added that the agency had no evidence that the breached data was misused, but that individuals, who may have had their data taken, should be duly notified.

The DISA declined to elaborate on what part of its network had been breached and to identify the individuals whose accounts may have been affected.

US Department of Defence spokesman Chuck Prichard said that they were being offered “information about actions that can be taken to mitigate possible negative impacts” of the breach, as well as free credit monitoring.
Prichard refused to say how many people could have been affected by the breach, adding only that the DISA had launched a probe into the incident, and is taking “appropriate measures to secure the network”.

The agency is headquartered in Maryland’s Fort Meade and reportedly employs about 8,000 military and civilians. Apart from Trump, the DISA provides direct telecommunications and IT support for Vice President Mike Pence and the US Secret Service, as well as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and other senior members of the US armed forces.