WASHINGTON - Data stolen from U.S. government computers by suspected Chinese hackers included security clearance information and background checks dating back three decades, U.S. officials said on Friday, underlining the scope of one of the largest known cyber attacks on federal networks.
The breach of computer systems of the Office of Personnel Management was disclosed on Thursday by the Obama administration, which said records of up to 4 million current and former federal employees may have been compromised.
U.S. government sources said the hackers were believed to have been based in China but it was not yet known if the massive hacking was state-sponsored.
The breach was among the most far-reaching thefts of information on the federal work force .
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"This is deep. The data goes back to 1985," said one official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "This means that they potentially have information about retirees, and they could know what they did after leaving government."
Access to information from OPM's computers, such as birthdates, Social Security numbers and bank information, could help hackers test potential passwords to other sites, including those containing information about critical weapons systems, the official said.
"That could give them a huge advantage," the official said.
