Office of Personnel and Management Breach Affected 25 Million People, Say Officials
The U.S. Office of Personnel and Management (OPM) agency was breached by what state officials believe was malicious attack by Chinese hackers, and it may have affected millions of Americans.
The long awaited assessment for this incident was compeleted, and its investigation and the numbers are staggering, according to ABC News. In the report, it is believed 25 million people have been compromised by the hack.
The millions affected include government and non-government workers.
A month ago, when OPM first acknowledged the breach, they reported a much lower estimate to the public. But the latest estimate constitutes up to six times OPM's initial estimate and the federal response has been slow to resolve the matter. OPM still appears to be in the damage-control phase, which means they are still trying to figure out how much damage occurred before they can solve the issue.
The hackers were able to breach and gain access to OPM's own detailed records of background check information, which could potentially be on anyone that had applied for a government job or their families.
"I'm sure you will probably obfuscate, [but] when will the American people know ... the extent of this penetration?" Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., asked OPM Director Katherine Archuleta at a hearing on Capitol Hill last month.
OPM officials have maintained that it was hard to give an estimate because they had to comb through the records and make sure they didn't double-down on the numbers.
In a statement today, OPM reiterated that they have been committed to providing the needed information in a timely manner that is both transparent and accurate.
In late June, Voto Latino President and CEO Maria Teresa Kumar defended Archuelta as calls for the OPM director's firing grew.
"The fact that Washington is calling on President Obama to fire Director Archuleta says much about how Washington treats appointed officials versus how they treat CEOs," said Kumar in a statement on June 29.
She added, "We must treat appointed officials with the same dignity and respect that is shown to CEOs. The reality is that we are living in a new era where security breaches are going to increase, and the goal should be to find solutions instead of finger pointing. We have seen Sony, Target, and Home Depot experience the same, but CEOs of these companies have been held to a certain standard and treated with common courtesy. Tone is extremely important here, and the tone with which Washington has addressed Director Archuleta is less than honorable."
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