July 17, 2015
The scope of the data breach at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) went well beyond numbers initially reported.
OPM originally thought the cyberattack was limited to 4.2 million records. Upon further scrutiny, investigators concluded that the number of records compromised is closer to 21.5 million. Individuals affected include past and present federal and military employees, as well as any applicants that applied for a clearance since 2000.
Information compromised in the breach includes Social Security numbers, fingerprints, and residency, educational, family, financial, health, employment history.
OPM's website details the next steps it will take in notifying those affected by the data breach. OPM sent notifications by mail informing people of the services available. These services will be available for at least three years:
- Full service identity restoration support and victim recovery assistance
- Identity theft insurance
- Identity monitoring for minor children
- Continuous credit monitoring
- Fraud monitoring services beyond credit files
Several lawmakers on Capitol Hill called for terminating OPM Director Katherine Archuleta. After the intense backlash, she tendered her resignation on July 10.
Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said, “The breadth of the data breach at the Office of Personnel Management is staggering and unacceptable. We also have an obligation to ensure that those who serve the Department, in or out of uniform, are able to do so securely.”
The Senate now needs to appoint someone capable of handling a crisis of this magnitude and restore faith with the American people that their personal information is secure.
MOAA calls on Congress and the administration to complete a thorough investigation into the data breach, and to implement necessary action to prevent further incidents like these from occurring.