June 26, 2015

A cyberattack on the Office of Personnel Management exposed sensitive information of millions of Americans. 

It is currently unclear exactly how many are affected by the data breach; some reports speculate as many as 32 million people have been victimized by the attack. So far, officials at OPM have confirmed at least 21.5 million government workers had their personal information compromised. 

The ongoing investigation has revealed military records were not involved in the breach; however, the personnel records of current, former, and prospective federal employees' and some contractors' background investigations may have been compromised. 

OPM's investigation continues with the help of the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

OPM is offering free credit-monitoring services, similar to MOAA's Identity Guard , to affected employees. So far, the services have cost the government $20 million. 

DoD is the largest federal employer of military veterans. About forty percent of all DoD civilians are veterans. 

MOAA remains very concerned over the OPM data breach. "It's not only a violation of federal employee information," said MOAA's Director of Government Relations, Col. Mike Hayden, USAF (Ret), "but also an incursion into the privacy of many of our members who transitioned to the federal workforce."   

We appeal to Congress and the administration to complete a thorough investigation and implement actions to prevent further breaches.