In a significant security breach, cyber intruders who managed to procure millions of federal employee files from OPM, also got hold of over 1.1 million fingerprint records. This aspect of the breach could have some of the most severe repercussions of the Office of Personnel Management hack that impacted 21.5 million individuals. The identity of those who hold this data remains unconfirmed but American intelligence hypothesizes that China is a likely suspect. The stolen fingerprints could potentially be leveraged to enhance surveillance activities against the U.S.
“Every federal agency is impacted. Nobody is exempt,” an OPM spokesperson informed CNNMoney.
In a scenario reminiscent of the movie Mission Impossible, the culprits could manufacture physical duplicates of the stolen fingerprints using materials such as latex. With these counterfeits, they could unlock devices secured with fingerprint recognition technology, belonging to American diplomats and government agents. The breach thus could lead to exposure of confidential discussions, disruption of investigations or even adversely affect international negotiations.
Find additional details on this subject at CNN Money.
Photo credits: Bram Cymet
