Obama Administration Aims to Contain Massive Data Breach Exposing Federal Workers

A breach initially spotted in April is just now coming to surface. The Obama administration is looking to corner the breach to prevent any extensive damage. The cyber strike potentially came from China-based hackers, sources report. What happened? Information is stemming from Washington that Chinese hackers penetrated federal networks, and captured more than 4 million files - directly related to current and former federal employees. The Chinese embassy denied the accusations stemming from Washington and called it irresponsible to blame the country.

On Thursday the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released a statement confirming the breach. The agency is working closely with the Department of Homeland Security, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to contain the matter.

For those federal employees affected, please keep this in mind: the OPM will be sending letters to approximately 4 million individuals identified in the system as vulnerable to the hack. This letter will come specifically from OPM and their official email address - [email protected], others not on the email list will be sent an official letter via snail mail. For those concerned about the hack, please contact 844-222-2743 or by visiting OPM’s webpage on the matter: http://www.csid.com/opm/ What information is vulnerable?

• Bank account information, home addresses and personal data like birth dates.
• Security clearances and background checks over the last 30 years.
• Social security numbers for employees, both current, former and retired.
• Performance reviews and any employer structured testing results.

Government officials are advising employees and former employees to closely monitor bank accounts, credit cards and change all online passwords. Passwords should vary in length, letters, symbols and numbers for each login. It is advisable to place a credit freeze with the credit agencies as well.

The OPM has pledged 18 months of free credit reporting monitoring and identity theft insurance for any affected persons.

The information acquired is highly concerning, especially when one considers the timeline of the hack. Passwords and names that secure confidential information can potentially be obtained through the capture of the hack.

Tech security experts are baffled at the brute force access obtained. VGN spoke to a local tech in Cleveland, Ohio, who asked to remain unidentified. He said, “these are hackers not well-trained or very knowledgeable. It appears vulnerabilities were at fault here, indicating the government knew of them and never focused on patching them. That basic concept of security 101 is stunning.”

The FBI released their own statement and said the case is currently under investigation, and they will hold all those who pose a threat in cyberspace accountable.