Hackers Accessed Personal Data for More Than 130,000 U.S. Navy Sailors

November 24, 2016, 4:19 AM ET

KEY WEST, FL - MARCH 29: In this photo provided by the U.S. Navy, the Navy's newest littoral combat ship USS Independence (LCS-2) arrives at Mole Pier March 29, 2010 at Naval Air Station Key West in Key West, Florida. Independence is on the way to Norfolk, Va., for commencement of initial testing and evaluation of the aluminum vessel before sailing to its homeport in San Diego. Independence is a fast, agile, mission-focused ship specifically designed to defeat "anti-access" threats in shallow, coastal water regions, including surface craft, diesel submarines and mines. (Photo by Nicholas Kontodiakos/U.S. Navy via Getty Images)Photograph by U.S. Navy/Getty Images

Hackers gained access to sensitive information, including Social Security numbers, for 134,386 current and former U.S. Sailors, the U.S. Navy said on Wednesday.

It said a laptop used by a Hewlett Packard Enterprise Services (HPE) employee working on a U.S. Navy contract was hacked. Hewlett Packard informed the Navy of the breach on Oct. 27 and the affected sailors will be notified in the coming weeks, the Navy said.

“The Navy takes this incident extremely seriously—this is a matter of trust for our sailors,” Chief of Naval Personnel Vice Admiral Robert Burke said in a statement.

Burke said the investigation of the breach was in its early stages.

“At this stage of the investigation, there is no evidence to suggest misuse of the information that was compromised,” the Navy said.

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