Security Breach of Employee Data at GSA

An employee at the General Services Administration accidentally sent the names and Social Security numbers of the agency's staff to a private e-mail address, The New York Times reported on Saturday. GSA, which employs more than 12,000 people, is going to pay for one-year of credit monitoring and up to $25,000 in identify threat insurance coverage, according to the news report.

The breach occurred when a worker apparently accidentally transmitted the file containing the personal data while seeking "work-related assistance." The computer that received the data was scrubbed clean by GSA technicians.

The Times reports there is a discrepancy between when employees were notified and the breach. Although the breach occurred in late September, GSA employees told the Times they did not learn of the breach until early November, putting them "at greater risk."

The inspector general is investigating he incident.