Chinese hackers are suspected of being behind a major cyber breach at the US Office of Personnel Management, which is the human resources arm of the US government and processes security clearances for federal employees and contractors, according to people familiar with the case.
The FBI said in a statement Thursday it is investigating the breach. OPM said it will send out notices to 4m current and former federal employees whose personal identification information may have been exposed, Gina Chon and Hannah Kuchler report.
OPM has personnel files on employees working at nearly every federal agency. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that data from the Interior Department, which manages federal land, was also compromised.