Office of Personnel Management Details

    Organization Logo

    Office of Personnel Management

    Washington, D.C. • 2000 employees • Governments

    https://www.opm.gov/
    United States

    Industry

    Governments

    Security Incidents

    1

    The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that manages the civil service of the federal government. The primary purpose of OPM is to provide human resources policy, oversight, and support to federal agencies, ensuring that the government's workforce is effective and efficient. It was established in 1979 as part of the Civil Service Reform Act, which aimed to improve government employment procedures and eliminate inefficiencies.

    OPM oversees the hiring process for federal employees, administers benefits programs such as health ins...
    Show more

    Security Incidents

    Office of Personnel Management Breach of Mar 2014
    Severity Score
    Very High

    Type

    Data Breach

    Summary

    In 2015, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) experienced a significant data breach affecting approximately 22.1 million records, including those of federal employees and individuals who had undergone background checks. The breach involved two linked attacks attributed to state-sponsored hackers from China, specifically the Jiangsu State Security Department. Sensitive information, including Social Security numbers, dates and places of birth, addresses, and the highly detailed Standard Form 86 (SF-86) used for security clearances, was exfiltrated. Notably, 5.6 million sets of fingerpri...
    Show more

    Severity

    The 2015 Office of Personnel Management (OPM) data breach was one of the most significant cyber security incidents involving the U.S. government, exposing approximately 22.1 million records, including highly sensitive information such as Social Security numbers, dates and places of birth, addresses, and even fingerprints of federal employees and applicants. The attack, attributed to Chinese state-sponsored hackers, compromised detailed security clearance information and highlighted severe deficiencies in OPM's cybersecurity practices. Given the immense scale, national security implications, an...
    Show more

    Impact

    The 2015 Office of Personnel Management (OPM) incident was a significant data breach orchestrated by state-sponsored hackers linked to China. Approximately 22.1 million personnel records were compromised, including Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, and highly sensitive security clearance information from Standard Form 86 (SF-86). The breach also involved the theft of 5.6 million fingerprint records, impacting the privacy and security of millions of individuals, including federal employees and their contacts. While the attack did not result in any immediate service disruptions...
    Show more

    KEEP YOUR ENVIRONMENT SECURE

    Weak credentials are the leading cause of breaches. Beyond Identity can help.

    See MFA exploits in action
    Watch how adversaries exploit companies in quick videos