A software glitch on a Department of Veterans Affairs website resulted in a data breach last week, revealing the personal information of thousands of veterans.
According to The Washington Post, the glitch occurred on eBenefits, a joint VA and Department of Defense Web portal. The site lets veterans and their dependents access private information, such as medical and bank records along with educational benefits. Because of the recent glitch, visitors to the site were able to view this information once they logged into the system.
VA officials told the news source that an estimated 5,300 users were affected by the security breach.
Reports of the software glitch first surfaced Jan. 15, according to The American Legion blog. The website was taken down for a few days before returning last Sunday.
"[The] VA took immediate action upon discovering the software defect and shut the e-Benefits system down in order to limit any problems," the VA said. "We offer our sincere apologies to any servicemember, veteran or family member impacted by the software defect and the downtime."
The department's Data Breach Core Team is currently investigating the incident. Once the DBCT determines the approximate number of users the breach affected, the VA may provide credit monitoring services to the victims.