In May 2006, a VA employee’s laptop containing personal data on 26.5 million veterans was stolen from their home. The data included names, dates of birth, and social security numbers. Although the laptop was later recovered and no data was compromised, the incident highlighted significant cybersecurity challenges and led to major changes in the VA’s cybersecurity practices.
Source: https://federalnewsnetwork.com/cybersecurity/2025/06/a-cybersecurity-awakening-at-the-va/
TPRM report: https://scoringcyber.rankiteo.com/company/department-of-veterans-affairs
"id": "dep624062825",
"linkid": "department-of-veterans-affairs",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "6/2025",
"severity": "60",
"impact": "3",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with internal employee data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': '26.5 million veterans',
'industry': 'Public Sector',
'location': 'United States',
'name': 'Department of Veterans Affairs',
'type': 'Government Agency'}],
'attack_vector': 'Physical Theft',
'data_breach': {'data_encryption': 'No',
'number_of_records_exposed': '26.5 million',
'personally_identifiable_information': 'Yes',
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High',
'type_of_data_compromised': ['Names',
'Dates of Birth',
'Social Security Numbers']},
'date_detected': '2006-05-03',
'date_resolved': '2006-06-29',
'description': 'A VA employee’s laptop was stolen. It contained personal data '
'on 26.5 million veterans. While the information was '
'recovered, the incident highlighted data security challenges '
'and led to major cybersecurity changes at the VA and across '
'government.',
'impact': {'data_compromised': ['Names',
'Dates of Birth',
'Social Security Numbers'],
'systems_affected': ['Laptop', 'External Hard Drive']},
'initial_access_broker': {'entry_point': 'Physical Theft'},
'investigation_status': 'Resolved',
'lessons_learned': ['Need for stronger cybersecurity practices',
'Focus on security and real-time monitoring of '
'vulnerabilities',
'Empowerment of the agency’s CIO',
'Improved breach notification processes'],
'post_incident_analysis': {'corrective_actions': ['Encryption of devices',
'Two-factor authentication',
'Real-time visibility into '
'network vulnerabilities',
'Breach notification '
'guidance'],
'root_causes': ['Unencrypted data',
'Lack of password protection',
'Delayed breach notification']},
'references': [{'source': 'Federal News Network'}],
'response': {'law_enforcement_notified': 'Yes'},
'title': 'VA Data Breach',
'type': 'Data Breach',
'vulnerability_exploited': 'Unencrypted Data'}