US Government Pwned Again By Hackers…. Personal Info Stolen

It turns out that this hack that resulted in the personal info of US Government employees being stolen wasn’t a one time event. The US Government acknowledged Friday that in a separate attack hackers stole highly sensitive forms used in vetting federal employees for security clearances. Here’s what AP had to say:

Deeply personal information submitted by U.S. intelligence and military personnel for security clearances – mental illnesses, drug and alcohol use, past arrests, bankruptcies and more – is in the hands of hackers linked to China, officials say.

In describing a cyberbreach of federal records dramatically worse than first acknowledged, authorities point to Standard Form 86, which applicants are required to complete. Applicants also must list contacts and relatives, potentially exposing any foreign relatives of U.S. intelligence employees to coercion. Both the applicant’s Social Security number and that of his or her cohabitant are required.

Lovely. Just think of what some evil doer can do with that sort of information. I can think of lots of things that hackers can do and none of it is good. If I was one of those people, I’d be very, very worried right now. This is a clear indication that the US is falling behind in terms of IT security and they seriously need to step up their game. Otherwise, they will just keep getting pwned by hackers again and again.

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