U.S. Social Security Administration: DOGE employee stole Social Security data and put it on a thumb drive, report says

Former DOGE Engineer Accused of Stealing Sensitive U.S. Citizen Data from Social Security Administration

A whistleblower complaint, reported by The Washington Post, alleges that a former software engineer from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) stole highly sensitive personal data from the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) and stored it on a thumb drive. The ex-employee, who worked at the SSA last year before joining a government contractor in October, reportedly told colleagues he possessed two restricted databases Numident and the Master Death File containing records on over 500 million living and deceased Americans. The data allegedly includes Social Security numbers, birth details, citizenship status, race, ethnicity, and parental information.

The whistleblower also claimed the former DOGE engineer had "God-level" access to SSA systems, raising concerns about unauthorized data extraction. While the SSA’s inspector general is investigating the complaint, an SSA spokesperson denied the allegations, calling the report "fake news" and accusing The Washington Post of sensationalism. The inspector general’s office has not yet commented.

This incident is the latest in a series of controversies surrounding DOGE’s involvement with the SSA. In January, two DOGE members were accused of accessing and sharing restricted Social Security numbers to assist an advocacy group allegedly seeking to overturn election results. Last year, another whistleblower warned that DOGE uploaded hundreds of millions of SSA records to an insecure cloud server, and a federal judge blocked DOGE from accessing SSA systems, citing an unauthorized "fishing expedition" for fraud.

Since the Trump administration installed DOGE members at the SSA last year, at least a dozen technical staff and engineers have worked at the agency, though their roles and activities were reportedly not disclosed to other SSA employees. The ongoing investigations highlight persistent concerns over data security and oversight within the agency.

Source: https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/10/doge-employee-stole-social-security-data-and-put-it-on-a-thumb-drive-report-says/

Social Security Administration cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/ssa

"id": "SSA1773182549",
"linkid": "ssa",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "10/2025",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': '500+ million living and '
                                              'deceased Americans',
                        'industry': 'Public Sector',
                        'location': 'United States',
                        'name': 'U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA)',
                        'size': 'Large',
                        'type': 'Government Agency'}],
 'attack_vector': 'Insider Threat',
 'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': 'Allegedly stored on a thumb drive',
                 'number_of_records_exposed': '500+ million',
                 'personally_identifiable_information': 'Yes',
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'High',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['Social Security numbers',
                                              'Birth details',
                                              'Citizenship status',
                                              'Race',
                                              'Ethnicity',
                                              'Parental information']},
 'description': 'A whistleblower complaint alleges that a former software '
                'engineer from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency '
                '(DOGE) stole highly sensitive personal data from the U.S. '
                'Social Security Administration (SSA) and stored it on a thumb '
                'drive. The data allegedly includes records from two '
                'restricted databases, Numident and the Master Death File, '
                'containing information on over 500 million living and '
                'deceased Americans, such as Social Security numbers, birth '
                'details, citizenship status, race, ethnicity, and parental '
                'information.',
 'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Potential reputational damage to SSA '
                                       'and DOGE',
            'data_compromised': 'Highly sensitive personal data (SSNs, birth '
                                'details, citizenship status, race, ethnicity, '
                                'parental information)',
            'identity_theft_risk': 'High (exposure of SSNs and PII)',
            'legal_liabilities': 'Potential regulatory and legal actions',
            'systems_affected': 'U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) '
                                'databases (Numident, Master Death File)'},
 'investigation_status': 'Ongoing (SSA Inspector General investigating)',
 'post_incident_analysis': {'root_causes': 'Excessive privileges, lack of '
                                           'oversight, potential insider '
                                           'threat'},
 'references': [{'source': 'The Washington Post'}],
 'response': {'communication_strategy': 'SSA spokesperson denied allegations, '
                                        "calling the report 'fake news'"},
 'threat_actor': 'Former DOGE Engineer',
 'title': 'Former DOGE Engineer Accused of Stealing Sensitive U.S. Citizen '
          'Data from Social Security Administration',
 'type': 'Data Breach',
 'vulnerability_exploited': 'Excessive Privileges (God-level access)'}