OPM Hacked

[Gman]

Apparently the records stolen go back to 1985.

[JohnnyDrama]

Good words Aloha_Shooter

Gates Zuckerman, Jobs team, ought to be able to come up with a foolproof anti- hacking method of preventing this. They're smart enough and we the citizens made them all wealthy beyond belief.....Let them give back and protect what they created

The capitalists mentioned above wont take action until it starts to affect their bottom line. They could come up with something if properly motivated. We click and they get paid. I think about the pre-interwebz days when I used to take cash to the post office, get a money order, and use "snail mail" to order parts and gear.

cash is looking like a better payment medium every day

Identity theft was the stuff of science fiction.

[HoneyBadger]

I honestly suspect they are looking for potential espionage targets, but PII is PII.

[thedave1164]

Due to the nature of my job, I sit outside the office of one of the IT security people for the gov, I have overheard some interesting conversations about this.

Even when he shuts his door, I can still hear his side of the conversation.

No, I cannot share what I have heard, but I can say I am not inspired.......

[thedave1164]

I honestly suspect they are looking for potential espionage targets, but PII is PII.

LOL, plenty of training about protecting PII, but the reality is poor protection.

[SamuraiCO]

Guess there will be a cry for more money for infrastructure.

[davsel]

Passing on an update I received in an email today:

Subject: Phishing Threat Advisory Against DoD Personnel - OPM data Loss

In the wake of the recent OPM data breach, US Army CID states a phishing email is being sent to DOD personnel asking them to click on hyperlinks and enter a personal PIN number to verify their Personal Information. This is a Phishing Attack!

A new phishing attack has surfaced that attempts to draw the attention of recipients with the subject line "Important Message from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management CIO", with the sender appearing to be OPM CIO. Users are actually directed to a fake website and asked to enter private information.

Be cautious, and never click on links in suspicious email you receive.

Additional info per OPM:

Were members of the military affected by the breach?

This incident did not affect military records. No contractors were affected unless they previously held Federal civilian positions. The incident affected current and former Federal civilian personnel, including Department of Defense civilian employees.

How long will it take to inform all the potential victims involved in the incident?

OPM will begin conducting notifications to affected individuals using email and/or USPS First Class mail on June 8, 2015 and will continue notifications on a rolling basis through June 19, 2015.

Can my family members also receive services if they are part of my file/records?

Family members of employees were not affected by this breach.

http://www.opm.gov/news/latest-news/...ked-questions/

[Hound]

While I believe you got that email, I don't believe its contents. OPM is trying to control what it has little understanding of from what I am hearing in the background. I doubt 'the bad guys' went... "Hey, don't worry about the other stuff. We only need the official employees list not all those pesky contractors like Raytheon and Lockheed(to name a few). What do they really have.... They only build everything the Government runs"

Passing on an update I received in an email today:

[Monky]

Ha! A list I'm not on!


Sent by a free-range electronic weasel, with no sense of personal space.

[davsel]

Looks like the original story is correct. Security Clearance background investigations hacked ("exfilterated"?) at OPM.

http://news.yahoo.com/union-says-fed...-politics.html

In a statement, the White House said that on June 8, investigators concluded there was "a high degree of confidence that ... systems containing information related to the background investigations of current, former and prospective federal government employees, and those for whom a federal background investigation was conducted, may have been exfiltrated."