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The Coast Guard is the only branch of the United States military in the Department of Homeland Security. It enforces federal law, controls the nation’s borders and maritime Approaches, and protects the United States ports and waterways. The premier maritime law enforcement agency has about 55,000 civilian employees and military service members. Like any other military branch, the Coast Guard maintains systems that store national security intelligence and personnel records. Hence, it is no surprise the service became a high-value cyber target. 

The recent Coast Guard data breach reportedly exposed service members’ sensitive financial information and heavily compromised the law enforcement agency’s personnel and payroll system. At least 1,135 service members' bi-weekly pay has been impacted by this breach. The Coast Guard has yet to specify the cause of this data breach. However, the Coast Guard Cyber Command and Coast Guard Investigative Service have commenced investigations to determine the origin of the data breach and its impact.

According to some reports, besides service members’ bank information, it is still unclear what other information may have been compromised in the Coast Guard data breach. It is already confirmed that the direct deposit account and routing information of some service members were compromised.

When Was the Coast Guard Data Breach?

The exact date of the recent Coast Guard data breach is not known. However, it was first discovered after a screenshot of two emails sent by one of the service’s senior members appeared on social media in February 2025. The email had instructed service members not to make public news of the data security incident and that another email would share more details about the incident.

On February 12, 2025, the Coast Guard issued a notification to impacted service members after a junior petty officer brought the attention of the Coast Guard Cyber Command to irregular activity observed on their accounts. The notification generally explained the type of data potentially compromised, steps being taken to expedite pay to impacted service members, and what is being done to strengthen the security of service members’ accounts.

How to Check If Your Data Was Breached

Service members affected by the recent Coast Guard data breach have already been notified. Affected service members are generally experiencing delays in accessing essential services and receiving pay as a result of the data breach.

What to Do If Your Data Was Breached

If your data was exposed in the Coast Guard data breach, it is important that you stay vigilant as the full scope of the breach is still being investigated. While the service has pledged to provide timely updates to its members as it works to restore its system, affected personnel are advised to keep monitoring their financial statements for any unusual activity.

To mitigate risks, you can enable fraud alerts on your accounts and make efforts to secure your online accounts. For instance, you should consider updating your passwords across your online accounts. In addition, you can limit access to your credit report by freezing your credit file. 

Are There Any Lawsuits Because of the Data Breach?

No lawsuit has been filed against the Coast Guard regarding the latest data breach as of late February 2025.

Can My Coast Guard Information Be Used for Identity Theft?

Yes. In addition to financial fraud, the Coast Guard data breach raises immediate concerns over identity theft. Scammers could leverage affected service members’ compromised personally identifiable information (PII) for identity fraud, targeted social media engineering attacks, and fraudulent credit card applications.

If you were affected in the Coast Guard data breach, bad actors may apply to open new accounts in your name and then take out some loans, also in your name. The height of the potential risks is that your sensitive information may end up on the dark web, where cyber criminals can access and use it for several malicious purposes.

What Can You Do to Protect Yourself Online?

Although cyberspace is invaluable, there are also many threats to internet users. Hence, it is essential to take certain measures to protect yourself online. These measures include the following:

• Enable multi-factor authentication (2FA) on your devices and online accounts. When activated, 2FA adds an extra layer of security to your accounts and makes it difficult for unauthorized persons to access them. Generally, it demands separate forms of identification, such as a token, facial recognition, or biometric information, before granting access to a device or an account.
• Create strong passwords for your online accounts and internet devices. Make sure that such passwords are unique. It is generally advised to use a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters when creating a password. In addition, avoid using the same password across multiple online accounts to minimize the risk of exposure in the event that a cybercriminal accesses one of your online accounts.
• Avoid sharing sensitive information over unsecured internet connections, especially public Wi-Fi networks, where hackers can effortlessly intercept data. It is highly recommended that you use private, secure networks to protect yourself from cyberattacks.
• Educate yourself on cybersecurity threats and online scams to keep up with the latest threats and developments. Make it a habit to learn about the constantly changing cyber threats on credible sites like IDStrong, as the more you learn about them, the better you become at spotting them.
• Be mindful of the type of information you share on your social media, especially personal and financial information. Bad actors typically go to any length to gather data on their targets, and in many cases, they do not back down until they have enough information to strike. The less information you share online, the harder it becomes for you to fall victim to cybercrimes.
• Monitor your bank accounts and credit reports periodically for any signs of unusual charges and activities. Enrolling in a secure credit monitoring service will diligently monitor your credit files and prompt you whenever any change is made to your credit report.
• Beware of suspicious emails, unsolicited text messages, and phishing attempts. Resist the urge to disclose sensitive information like credit card details, passwords, PINs, or social security numbers to cyber criminals who impersonate credible entities like government agencies and financial institutions.
• Keep your internet devices, including your computers and smartphones, updated with the latest software at all times. Typically, companies release many of these updates whenever they discover new versions of cyber threats and malware. Failure to update as and when due can make your devices vulnerable to cyberattacks.
• Avoid entering personal information on unsecured websites. Otherwise, you risk falling prey to data breaches, hacking attempts, and other forms of cyber attacks. Before providing any sensitive personal or financial details on a website, confirm that the address starts with https:// rather than https://.