Hackers in China are suspected to have accessed sensitive information on US intelligence and military personnel. The data is said to contain personal employee details.
The disclosure of a second breach to US Government computers comes one week after the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) revealed that over four million federal employees’ personal data was hacked in an attack, also suspected to be carried out by the Chinese.
In a report citing various US officials, the Associated Press said information on nearly all of US security-clearance holders, including the Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency and military special operations personnel, were potentially exposed in the latest breach.
The government records suggest that over 2.9 million people had been investigated for a security clearance as of October 2014.
The attack is expected to expose US security personnel or their families open to blackmail.
A statement from White House said investigators had a high degree of confidence that background data on government employees had been exfiltrated.
Last month, the US has urged China to investigate reports that indicate China redirected internet traffic and used information for attacking American websites.
The OPM detected a cyber-intrusion in April this year affecting its information technology systems and data. The breach was identified when the agency started working to enhance its security control.
