By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com
Chinese cyber-thieves penetrated an alarming number of FBI agents’ personnel files during several bold breaches that Newsweek reports have “potentially dangerous national security implications.”
The FBI is now tasked with investigating the massive breach of federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM) computers and will be assisted by Homeland Security.
It’s not year clear how extensive the hacking was. An FBI spokesman estimated about 4 million federal employee files were breached.
James Trainor, acting assistant director for the FBI’s cyber division, said the number could be as high as 16 million.
An FBI agent told Newsweek that he was told by OPM in May that his personnel file was breached by Chinese hackers.
“This is the second notification that I’ve been breached,” the veteran agent said on the condition of anonymity. “They got me through Anthem Blue Cross, now they have me through OPM. I think of the 17 million they have on file, they’re only notifying 4 million. But I was notified last month.”
