WASHINGTON: 21 million federal employees’ sensitive information including social security numbers, residency, health, financial record and photographs have been stolen in US when the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) internal database was hacked last month.
OPM keeps personal information for all federal employees, including social security numbers; residency, employment and educational histories, information about immediate family and other personal and business acquaintances.
OPM had launched a forensic investigation after discovering that its internal database, housing background-check records of current, former and prospective federal employees and contractors, had been hacked in late May.