Million Indviduals’ Fingerprints Compromised In OPM Data Breach
The government of the United States has revealed that hackers who stole security clearance data on millions of federal employees under the Department of Defense and other agencies were able to obtain a total of 5.6 million fingerprint records, which is 4.5 million more compared to the initially reported figure.
The timing of the incident happens to coincide with President Obama’s visit to China later in the week and a sit down with Chinese President Xi Jinping where cybersecurity is sure to be a topic of discussion.
Nevertheless, the notion that the Chinese entities may have gained access to the fingerprints of millions of federal security clearance holders – including, potentially, intelligence officers serving overseas – is “troubling” for US intelligence agencies, the Guardian assessed.
“Theft of biometric data introduces ethical issues”. Authorities believe the hack may have been carried out by a Chinese operation, affecting around 21.5 million current and former federal employees or job applicants.
That number is five times the agency’s original estimate.
The agency downplayed the danger posed by stolen fingerprint records, saying the ability to misuse the data is now limited. However, it acknowledged that the risk could rise as technology improved and fingerprints were increasingly used as a guarantee of identity.
As more details surface regarding this summer’s Office of Personnel Management (OPM) breach, the less likely it seems that the wound will ever fully heal. However, this probability could change over time as technology evolves.
“An interagency working group with expertise in this area… will review the potential ways adversaries could misuse fingerprint data now and in the future”, it said. The theft included Social Security numbers, and addresses, as well. The people relevant to the matter at hand stated that even though there are about 21.5 million people that would be affected by the breach, the intensity of the situation is not threatening as of yet.
OPM said this group will also work to develop ways to prevent abuse and said it would keep those affected informed of new discoveries and any new means developed to abuse the fingerprint data.
Yesterday, OPM said that the U.S. Department of Defense identified archived records containing additional fingerprint data that had not previously analyzed.