US was warned of ‘Chinese cyberattack’: Report

The inspector general at the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) had warned in a report in November that Chinese hackers could target the agency’s computer security system, a report says.  

Before the report was published, alleged Chinese hackers had already got access to tens of thousands of files at the OPM, which keeps the records and security clearance information for millions of current and retired federal employees.

The hackers then went on to launch a much broader attack that eventually acquired detailed personal information on more than four million Americans.

On Thursday, US officials said hackers based in China had broken into the computer system of the OPM in December. The agency declined to comment on who was behind the hack.

However, some US officials, who spoke on conditions of anonymity, told the Washington Post that hackers from China are behind the attack.

Several US officials on Friday told the New York Times that the OPM is struggling to catch up, with the Chinese ahead of them at every step.

The officials said the agency was not having an inventory of all the computer servers and devices with access to its networks, and did not require anyone accessing to sensitive information from the outside to use even some basic authentication techniques.

Furthermore, the OPM would not regularly scan the system to find out vulnerabilities, and had discovered that 11 of the 47 sensitive computer systems last year were not “operating with a valid authorization.”

The problems were so severe for at least two systems that the OPM inspector general called for a temporary shutdown of the systems because of the security flaws which he said “could potentially have national security implications.”

On Friday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry slammed the US for making unfounded accusations, saying that China is itself the target of hacking attacks.

“It’s irresponsible and unscientific to make groundless accusations without deep investigation and research,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a news briefing in Beijing.

One American official familiar with the matter described the attack as one of the largest thefts of US government data ever in recent years, and the second major breach of the OPM blamed on China in less than a year.

Washington has for years accused the Chinese government and military of conducting computer-based attacks against the US, including efforts to steal information from federal agencies.

It claims that the Chinese military have made cyber warfare capabilities a priority over decade ago and often blames people linked to it for hacking into US companies’ computers to steal secrets.

Beijing says Washington’s cyber attack accusations are hypocritical, since intelligence leaks have revealed that the US itself is most active perpetrator of cyber espionage against foreign countries, especially against China.

GJH/GJH

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk