Travelers! Here Goes Another Breach They’re Not Talking About
They are claiming less than 100,000 people have been breached in a cyber-attack incident, affecting the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. On June 10, travelers’ information had been compromised using cameras and video recordings at airports and border crossings, from a facial recognition program used to track people’s identity. The breach has included actual faces and license plates.
The breach happened through the use of a federal government subcontractor, contracted through the government to provide facial recognition services at specific locations. So far, no one has confirmed who breached this contractor, but they are reporting approximately less than 100,000 were affected. They are also not releasing the location of the breach; all that has been shared is that the photographs were taken for over a month and a half, at a single land border entry port. They also claim it was just photos and license plates – no passports or other official documents were breached.
An anonymous U.S. official claims the breach did involve any foreign nations, but it has raised concerns that it could expose people to identity theft. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), voiced his concerns about this matter:
“If the government collects sensitive information about Americans, it is responsible for protecting it — and that’s just as true if it contracts with a private company. Anyone whose information was compromised should be notified by Customs, and the government needs to explain exactly how it intends to prevent this kind of breach from happening in the future.”
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