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.
According to a statement, the Fresno County Sheriff's Office learned of the breach from the California State Sheriff's Association.
The breach was part of the state DOJ's launch of its 2022 Firearms Dashboard Portal, the sheriff s office said in the statement.
The agency said that the personal information of Concealed Carry Weapon CCW permit holders is not supposed to be visible on the public site, but it is not supposed to be visible.
According to the sheriff's office, personal information included, but was not limited to, a person's name, age, address, criminal identification index number, and license type.
The agency said that it applies to all California CCW holders, including Fresno County residents.
The state DOJ pulled down the dashboard site along with all related links after learning of the breach, the sheriff's office said.
The portions of private information may have been posted on social media websites, according to officials. The sheriff's office said it was not known how long the information was accessible.
The office of the California attorney general said it was investigating the exposure.
Any unauthorized release of personal information is unacceptable, it said, adding that it was working quickly to address the situation and would provide more information as soon as possible.
The attorney general's office said that the attorney general's office planned to contact permit holders directly to advise them after the breach. The agency said there was plans to create a program to reduce the damage to permit holders if they were a victim of the breach.
The sheriff's office has urged anyone who learns their identity to make an online report.