- Jul 23, 2013
- 2,115
A People's Liberation Army complex surrounded by satellite dishes and dormitory-style residences, that researchers at Crowdstrike, a security company, believe is headquarters for a group of Chinese military hackers, in Shanghai.
WASHINGTON — Chinese hackers in March broke into the computer networks of the U.S. government agency that houses the personal information of all federal employees, according to senior U.S. officials. They appeared to be targeting the files on tens of thousands of employees who have applied for top-secret security clearances.
The hackers gained access to some of the databases of the Office of Personnel Management before the federal authorities detected the threat and blocked them from the network, according to the officials. It is not yet clear how far the hackers penetrated the agency’s systems, in which applicants for security clearances list their foreign contacts, their previous jobs and personal information, like past drug use.
In response to questions about the incident, a senior Department of Homeland Security official confirmed that the attack had occurred but said that “at this time” both the personnel agency and the Department of Homeland Security “have not identified any loss of personally identifiable information.” The official said an emergency response team was assigned “to assess and mitigate any risks identified.
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/loca...e-hackers-pursue-key-data-on-u.s.-workers.ece