California DOJ data breach exposes personal information of all concealed carry permit holders across state

The names, addresses and license types of all concealed carry permit holders in California were exposed after the state Department of Justice suffered a data breach, authorities said Tuesday.

The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday learned of the breach from the California State Sherriff’s Association, according to a statement.

The breach occurred as part of the state DOJ’s launch of its “2022 Firearms Dashboard Portal,” the sheriff’s office said in the statement.

"This public site allows access to certain information, however, personal information of Concealed Carry Weapon (CCW) permit holders is not supposed to be visible," the agency said.

The personal information included, but was not limited to, a person's name, age, address, Criminal Identification Index number and license type, according to the sheriff's office.

"This pertains to all California CCW holders, including Fresno County residents," the agency added.

The state DOJ pulled down the dashboard site along with all related links after learning of the breach, the sheriff's office said.

However, officials warned, "portions of private information may have been posted on social media websites." The sheriff's office said it was not known exactly how long the information was accessible for.

The California attorney general's office said it was investigating the exposure.

"Any unauthorized release of personal information is unacceptable," it said, adding that it was "working swiftly to address the situation" and would provide more information as soon as possible.

The sheriff’s office said the attorney general's office planned to contact permit holders directly to advise them after the breach. The agency added there were plans to institute a program to reduce any harm or damage to permit holders resulting from the breach.

The sheriff's office urged anyone who learns their identity was compromised to make an online report.