A security breach of the U.S. Coast Guard payroll system delayed the biweekly pay of more than 1,000 Coast Guard members, according to a service spokesperson.
The Coast Guard Investigative Service and Coast Guard Cyber Command are investigating the circumstances surrounding a technological error that impacted the scheduled payments of 1,135 members, the service said in a statement Tuesday.
The Coast Guard did not specify when the data breach occurred or what caused it, but said it is working to determine the “source and impact” of the breach.
After a junior petty officer alerted the Coast Guard Cyber Command to irregular activity on their account, the service said it issued a notification Feb. 12 to impacted members with an explanation of events, the type of information potentially compromised and the steps the service was taking to shore up the security of service member’s accounts and dole out pay.
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The service’s Personnel Service Center and Pay and Personnel Center, which has pulled its Direct Access military pay and benefits system offline while it addresses the problem, is working to send the appropriate sums to those affected, according to the Coast Guard.
Other news outlets have reported the service’s military pay and benefits system will be offline until at least Wednesday.
“The men and women of the Coast Guard workforce are our most valuable resource,” the service said in the statement.
“[Service members] will be paid as soon as possible. They also deserve transparency into the causes and resolution of this incident. 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 Coast Guard previously experienced a data breach impacting service members in April 2024.
In that breach, the Coast Guard Reserve discovered the home addresses, names and employee identification numbers of 10,700 Coast Guard Reserve members were released when an email was distributed to unapproved recipients containing the information.
Riley Ceder is a reporter at Military Times, where he covers breaking news, criminal justice, investigations, and cyber. He previously worked as an investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he contributed to the Abused by the Badge investigation.
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