Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity

    OPM Data Breach News Just Keeps Getting Worse

    By
    Wayne Rash
    -
    June 16, 2015
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      OPM Breach Details 2

      The news about the data breach at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management keeps getting worse by the day. How much worse? On June 12, the Associated Press reported that the number of personnel records that may have been pilfered in a stealthy cyber-attack is as high as 14 million.

      Meanwhile, The Washington Post is reporting that a great deal more information than just basic name, address and Social Security number details were taken and that, in fact, the database that was breached contained something called the SF (Standard Form) 86, which is a 127-page form that each person who is being considered for a security clearance must submit.

      This form is far more detailed than you’d expect for most job positions. In fact, when I submitted my form SF-86, I was required to submit details on every job I’d ever held, no matter how brief or how minor.

      I was also required to report on every place I’d ever lived, every place outside the United States where I’d ever traveled, my personal information, ranging from hair color and race to my height and weight. The level of detail was astonishing. But it’s required of anyone who ever had a security clearance. Because I was an officer in the Navy, of course, I had such a clearance.

      While I haven’t been notified that my information was taken, OPM on June 15 started to send out notices to those whose data was breached. Each person will get a letter, or in some cases an email, letting them know that this happened and offering a year and a half of credit monitoring and a million dollars of identity theft insurance.

      On June 14, OPM spokesperson Samuel Schumach said that OPM had discovered what it called a “separate intrusion” into OPM’s systems that revealed the details of background investigations into former, current and prospective federal employees and others for which an investigation was required. This would include a vast number of government contractors.

      But just in case you thought that things couldn’t get worse, a Manassas, Va., security company, CyTech Services may have quietly played a role in determining how the massive breach into OPM took place.

      The Wall Street Journal is reporting that this small company visited OPM in April to demonstrate its security software and, in the process, found malware running on several computers inside the agency. CyTech reports that the company remained on-site for several days to assist the FBI and other agencies in the investigation.

      In addition to finding that the malware that played a role in siphoning information to whomever breached OPM was still there and still at work, the investigation now indicates that the breach started much earlier than December 2014 and, in fact, may have begun more than a year before that.

      OPM Data Breach News Just Keeps Getting Worse

      By establishing an earlier intrusion date, one piece of the exfiltration puzzle appears to have been cleared up. As I mentioned in an earlier column, one of the mysteries of the OPM breach is how the Bad Guys managed to move such a vast quantity of data out of the agency in the relatively short time of a month or two. Surely, the question was asked, wouldn’t someone have noticed all of that data moving out?

      But if the breach was going on for more than a year, then the volume of data extracted at any one time would likely be much less. Divide that up among several infected computers and it becomes much more likely that such a data theft could have gone unnoticed. Even so, that’s a lot of data, so it still seems likely that not everything on every record was taken.

      The likelihood that not everything was taken is cold comfort for the many federal employees, current and former, whose trust in OPM and their government computer security was violated. They may still find that they have to spend the rest of their lives looking over their shoulders.

      But it’s potentially worse for the employees of a couple of intelligence agencies. While the Central Intelligence Agency, the State Department, the Defense Department and others do not depend on OPM for security clearances, background checks or personnel records, there’s still a risk.

      The intelligence services for each of these organizations will frequently provide cover for their deployed personnel by claiming that they actually work for a civilian agency, such as the Commerce Department or the Agriculture Department.

      Now, it will be relatively easy for the Chinese, the Ukrainians or whomever was responsible for this breach to check to see if someone who is presenting themselves as an agriculture attaché actually works for the Department of Agriculture.

      I realize this is the first time that the Ukrainians have been mentioned. Initial reports about the breach placed the blame on Chinese hackers, who seem to get blamed for many U.S. corporate or government data breaches.

      However, one extremely reliable source tells me that the people who carried out the OPM breach communicated among themselves in Ukrainian. The question is, does that really mean anything? Nobody knows for sure, but that’s pretty much the whole story when it comes to the OPM breach. Perhaps we’ll find out soon.

      Wayne Rash
      https://www.eweek.com/author/wayne-rash/
      Wayne Rash is a freelance writer and editor with a 35-year history covering technology. He’s a frequent speaker on business, technology issues and enterprise computing. He is the author of five books, including his most recent, "Politics on the Nets." Rash is a former Executive Editor of eWEEK and a former analyst in the eWEEK Test Center. He was also an analyst in the InfoWorld Test Center and editor of InternetWeek. He's a retired naval officer, a former principal at American Management Systems and a long-time columnist for Byte Magazine.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×