The U.S. Coast Guard’s payroll system suffered a data breach, with bi-weekly pay for 1,135 members of the service impacted and delayed as a result.
The Coast Guard said that it took its personnel and payroll system offline to help address security. The breach impacted service members’ direct deposit account routing information, and was discovered after unusual activity was reported. The news was first reported by journalist Marisa Kabas. Task & Purpose confirmed the breach with the Coast Guard on Friday.
The Coast Guard Pay and Personnel Center’s Direct Access service is down for “unscheduled maintenance” as a result of the breach and will not be restored until Feb. 19, according to an email sent out to Coast Guard personnel.
“Currently, access is limited to select representatives for purposes of investigating the breach, securing service members’ personal information, and ensuring timely processing of mid-month pay to impacted members,” the Coast Guard said in a statement.
As a result of the data breach, the Coast Guard’s Coast Guard Personnel Service Center and Pay and Personnel Center are “expediting pay” to the 1,135 affected by it. Those whose data was compromised were notified by email.
The service did not elaborate on the extent of the data breach or any possible causes, but said that Coast Guard Investigative Service and Coast Guard Cyber Command are investigating the matter.
“The men and women of the Coast Guard workforce are our most valuable resource. They will be paid as soon as possible. They also deserve transparency into the causes and resolution of this incident,” the statement continued. “Through the ongoing response and investigation, the Coast Guard will continue to provide timely updates to the workforce, and clarity regarding the Service’s efforts to address any vulnerabilities in our data system.”
The service previously suffered a data breach in April 2024, impacting more than 10,000 members of the Coast Guard Reserve. Service members’ names and addresses were released as a result.
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