LOS ANGELES — A data breach has exposed the personal information of every person with a California permit to carry a concealed weapon, authorities said Tuesday.
The California Department of Justice suffered the breach as part of the launch of its 2022 Firearms Dashboard Portal, according to the Fresno County Sheriff's Office, which said it was informed of the leak Tuesday by the California State Sheriffs' Association.
"This public site allows access to certain information, however, personal information of concealed carry weapon permit holders is not supposed to be visible," the Sheriff's Office said in a statement. "This includes, but is not limited to a person's name, age, address, Criminal Identification Index number and license type (Standard, Judicial, Reserve and Custodial)."
The breach affects all concealed weapons permit holders in California, the Sheriff's Office said.
Justice Department officials pulled down the dashboard site along with all related links after learning of the breach, but it is possible that some private information was posted elsewhere online.
"It is unknown exactly how much time the information was accessible," the Sheriff's Office said.
California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta's office told law enforcement it is "working with urgency" to determine the breach's scope and plans to contact permit holders to directly advise them.
Bonta's office will institute a program to mitigate harm or damages that permit holders suffer as a result of the breach, according to the Sheriff's Office.
"We are investigating an exposure of individuals' personal information connected to the DOJ Firearms Dashboard," the attorney general's office said in a statement. "Any unauthorized release of personal information is unacceptable. We are working swiftly to address this situation and will provide additional information as soon as possible."
The Fresno County Sheriff's Office urges anyone whose information was compromised by the breach to visit www.fresnosheriff.org/report-a-crime-online and submit a report.
Further information was not available Tuesday night.
____
