Data Breach Exposes Personal Information of 1.1 Million Users

Forces Penpals exposes sensitive data of 1.1 million military users. A significant data breach at Forces Penpals, a social network for US and UK military personnel, has revealed the personal information of over 1.1 million users, including Social Security Numbers (SSNs) and other sensitive details. Cybersecurity researcher Jeremiah Fowler identified the leak, which stemmed from a coding error that left a directory publicly accessible. The exposed data includes full names, mailing addresses, military ranks, and proof of service documents. While Forces Penpals has acknowledged the breach and taken steps to secure the database, it remains unclear if any malicious actors accessed the information or how long the data was exposed. This incident highlights the urgent need for enhanced data security measures in similar services to protect user privacy.