WASHINGTON (AP) — Hackers stole personnel data and Social Security numbers for every federal employee, a government worker union said Thursday, charging that the cyberattack on U.S. employee data is far worse than the Obama administration has acknowledged.
Sen. Harry Reid, the Democratic leader, said on the Senate floor that the December hack into Office of Personnel Management data was carried out by “the Chinese.” Reid is one of eight lawmakers who is briefed on the most secret intelligence information. U.S. officials have declined to publicly blame China, which has denied involvement.
J. David Cox, president of the American Federal of Government Employees, said in a letter to OPM director Katherine Archuleta that based on OPM’s internal briefings, the hackers stole military records and veterans’ status information, address, birth date, job and pay history, health insurance, life insurance, and pension information; age, gender, race data.
The letter was obtained by The Associated Press.
The union said it is basing its assessment on internal OPM briefings. The agency has sought to downplay the damage, saying that only limited personally identifying information was breached.
“We believe that Social Security numbers were not encrypted, a cybersecurity failure that is absolutely indefensible and outrageous,” the letter said.
“Based on the sketchy information OPM has provided, we believe that the Central Personnel Data File was the targeted database, and that the hackers are now in possession of all personnel data for every federal employee, every federal retiree, and up to one million former federal employees.”
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I’m willing to bet the hacking HAPPENED in China. I’m also willing to bet an AMURIKKKAN paid them to do it. What better way to cause trouble if you’re a gov’t hatin’ redneck Teatroll than to be able to threaten select gov’t employees and extort them into doing things that mess shit up?
Hehe…yeah…it’s time for the tinfoil hat party…
I think China can do bad all on its own.
…“president of the American Federal of Government Employees.”
It’s Federation, not Federal. AFGE is the largest government union in the country. If I remember correctly it covers any government employee, not just Feds.
OPM says only military info was hacked and it’s possible and in some ways probable that the data for DoD is stored seperately but I’m sure there are links among the different personnel department swithin the Government. I would be interested to know what exactly is stored in the Central Personnel Data File.
I guess it’s hard to protect data from China when just about everything related to computers – PCs, routers, iPhones – is made in China by companies the Chinese government controls.
But hey, they make the stuff cheap, which maximizes profits while sticking it to American labor that thinks it’s entitled to a living wage, safe working conditions, and all that other stuff that defines an enlightened, industrialized democracy.
Besides, Republicans don’t think of federal workers as human anyway, so in their view nothing of any consequence was lost.
This is fucking bad. It’s unfucking believable. I can’t fucking understand this, it’s so fucked-up.