Hackers had access to US security clearance data for a year

Hackers who breached a database containing highly personal information on government employees with security clearances had access to the system for about a year before being discovered, The Washington Post reported on Friday.

The breach at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management dates back to June or July last year and was only discovered earlier this month.

The database in question contains applications for security clearances, which ask for information on all aspects of a person’s life including social security numbers, passport numbers, names of former neighbors, and information on family members. It also asks about, over the past seven years, any contact with foreign nationals and problems with drug or alcohol abuse, debts or bankruptcy, imprisonment and run-ins with law enforcement.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Network World Security