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MORE QUESTIONS ARISE ABOUT OPM HACK: Now that former OPM Director Katherine Archuleta has resigned, lawmakers and executive branch officials are starting to grapple with the long-term consequences of the theft of personal information for more than 21 million people from OPM networks. The unprecedented data breach could produce decades of intelligence problems for the United States, perhaps not ending until the people whose data was stolen "age off," FedScoop reported. Experts are also starting to scrutinize the security failures that allowed the hack to take place.
Lawmakers are debating whether to strip the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) of its control over security clearances after hackers made off with nearly 20 million background check forms housed at the agency.
Reps. Ted Lieu (above) and Steve Russell plan to introduce legislation that would take oversight of the security clearance system away from OPM.
A pair of congressmen want to take stewardship of files on government and contractor employees with security clearances away from the Office of Personnel Management, in light of the hacks that resulted in the breach of data on more than 22 million people.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 10, 2015
CONTACT: Jack d'Annibale | 202-225-3976
Los Angeles - Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D | Los Angeles) issued the following statement following the news that OPM Director Katherine Archuleta has resigned.
Sen. Mark Warner (Va.) on Thursday became the highest-ranking Democrat to call for the resignation of the agency head at the center of one what's thought to be the largest government hack ever.
Minutes after the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) revealed that the personal data of 22.1 million people — more than 5 times the initial estimate — had been exposed by two separate hacks at the agency, Warner called for the agency's chief, Katherine Archuleta, to resign.
He is the first Senate Democrat to do so.
Washington - Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-CA|33) and Congressman Steve Russell (R-OK|5) issued statements in response to the news that the personal information of 25 million Americans was stolen in the recent hack of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). As members of the Oversight & Government Reform Committee, Congressmen Lieu and Russell have participated in two full committee hearings on the OPM breach.
Setting up a clash between counter-terrorism priorities and constitutional protection against unwarranted intrusion, three top federal law enforcement officials urged Congress and Silicon Valley to provide government agencies special access to encrypted cellphones and other Internet devices.
The pitch Wednesday came amid renewed concern about American vulnerabilities as a cascading series of coincidental computer malfunctions briefly grounded United Airlines aircraft and brought the New York Stock Exchange and other high-profile digital networks to a halt.
The Islamic State terror group is increasingly using encrypted communications to recruit troubled Americans and urge them to carry out attacks, FBI Director James Comey is expected to tell Congress on Wednesday.
Comey's testimony is the latest effort by the Obama administration to pressure Silicon Valley companies to enable law enforcement agencies to continue monitoring communications over devices that are increasingly equipped with high-level encryption.
Office of Personnel Management Director Katherine Archuleta. ( Christopher Dilts / Obama for America)
Bipartisan calls are growing on Capitol Hill for the federal personnel director to step down as lawmakers say they're getting few answers to their questions about the hack of the personnel data of every federal worker.
Katherine Archuleta, left, and Andy Ozment, assistant secretary, Office of Cybersecurity and Communications, National Program Preparedness Directorate, Homeland Security Department, testify on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday.
Cliff Owen/Associated Press