City of San Jose Discloses Data Breach Following Loss of USB Drive
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The City of San Jose, California, disclosed a data breach on February 9, 2026, affecting current and former municipal employees. The incident was caused when a city workforce member lost a physical USB drive containing sensitive personnel records on January 9, 2026.
The city discovered the loss on January 12 but it did not begin notifying affected individuals until a month later. The San Jose Police Department opened a formal investigation on January 19, seven days after the city first learned of the incident.
The compromised data includes:
- Social Security numbers
- Full names of current and former employees
- Personal identifiers related to city employment
The number of affected individuals is not disclosed, but reports indicate the data includes records for individuals who left city employment as far back as the year 2000.
The city is providing affected individuals with one year of complimentary credit monitoring services. Labor representatives have criticized the response as inadequate, noting that the risk associated with compromised Social Security numbers persists indefinitely beyond the provided monitoring period.
