Computer crash wipes out a decade of US Air Force data
More than 100,000 internal investigations records dating back to 2004 have been lost, Air Force officials say.
- 10 years product testing experience with the CNET Home team
A corrupted database in the US Air Force's inspector general and legislative liaison divisions has reportedly put more than 100,000 internal investigation records in jeopardy.
The database, called the Automated Case Tracking System, was run by defense firm Lockheed Martin. It was corrupted last month and the firm spent two weeks trying to recover data before notifying the Air Force on June 6, according to Defense One.
The database held information about current investigations as well as all records related to IG complaints, appeals and Freedom of Information Act requests, according to The Hill.
"The database crashed and there is no data," Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek told The Hill "At this time we don't have any evidence of malicious intent."
Air Force officials are now turning to cybersecurity professionals at the Pentagon for help with the matter.
"We are aware of the data corruption issue in the Air Force's Automated Case Tracking System (ACTS) and are working with the Air Force to identify the cause, and restore the lost data," a Lockheed Martin spokesperson told CNET.
Update, Wednesday, 4:30 p.m. PT: The Air Force has announced it has "found" the data. Lockheed Martin sent the following: "As the Air Force announced on Wednesday afternoon, the data in the Automated Case Tracking System has been recovered. We have been working with the Air Force on the extensive data recovery efforts, and we are continuing to support the Air Force's investigation into the cause."