Skip to main content

OPM Cyberattack Rips Hole in Espionage Defenses

CBN

Share This article

New revelations indciate the cyberattack on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management has ripped a gaping hole in U.S. espionage defenses.

The hackers, allegedly from China, are believed to have stolen the information of millions of former and current federal employees and contractors.

Congressional leaders expressed their outrage in a hearing on Capitol Hill Tuesday.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, called the cyberattack "the most devastating...in our nation's history."

Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., agreed, saying it's far more serious to national security than the September 11, 2001 attacks.

The stolen information can help foreign intelligence agencies track employees with special skills or diverse backgrounds.

Private information can also be used as leverage against federal workers and put relatives and friends who live overseas at risk.

Cybersecurity expert Eric Chiu said the information "could provide essentially a road map to a nation-state or a potential terrorist to target and identify those individuals that work for the federal government to gain access to other sensitive environments and data that they're going after."

Share This article