WASHINGTON, July 13, 2006 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today notified current and former employees and contractors in the Washington, DC area that personal identity information was not downloaded or transferred outside the Department's computer system when it was illegally accessed last month, according to investigators.

"We are pleased to share this good news with employees and contractors, and we remain committed to aggressively continuing our review of all USDA data systems containing personal information," said Deputy Secretary Chuck Conner. "Hackers attempt to break into our computer systems an average of two thousand times per day and we take very seriously our responsibility to protect personal information."

The USDA Inspector General's Office is conducting an investigation into the computer intrusion. OIG Investigations personnel conducted forensic analysis of computer logs from a non-USDA computer system involved in the intrusion. The computer logs from that system indicate that the data file containing personal information about USDA employees was not transferred out of the Department's computer system.

Based on the investigators' findings, it is unnecessary for USDA to offer credit monitoring services. USDA is conducting a thorough review of all department data systems to minimize the amount of personal information in each system, and to confirm that appropriate levels of security are in place.