4 million US federal workers hit by cyber attack

MUMBAI, INDIA: In what could perhaps be the largest breach of Internet security, hackers broke into high-tech systems of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), compromising personal data of 4 million current and former federal employees.

According to news agency Reuters, OPM detected new malicious activity affecting its information systems in April and the Department of Homeland Security said it concluded at the beginning of May that the agency's data had been compromised and about 4 million workers may have been affected.

The breach hit OPM's IT systems and its data stored at the Department of the Interior's data center, a shared service center for federal agencies, a DHS official said. The official would not comment on whether other agencies' data had been affected or what kind of information was accessed.

Reuters reported that the US government has long raised concerns about cyber spying and theft emanating from China and has urged Beijing to do more to curb the problem.

Chinese Embassy spokesman Zhu Haiquan said in reply to a Reuters query that China had made great efforts to combat cyber attacks. "Jumping to conclusions and making (a) hypothetical accusation is not responsible," and is counterproductive, Zhu said in emailed comments.

Since the intrusion, OPM said it had implemented additional security precautions for its networks. It said it would notify the 4 million employees and offer credit monitoring and identity theft services to those affected.