Chinese hackers are believed to be behind one of the largest security breaches in US history, affecting more than four million former and current federal employees.
The Department for Homeland Security has confirmed that a "cyber intrusion" took place against the Office of Personal Management in April. The agency functions as the government's human resources department, conducting background checks and issuing security clearances for all federal employees.
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Several high-ranking US officials have pointed the finger at China, which has been accused of carrying out cyber-espionage against the US in the past.
Senator Susan Collins, who sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the attack was "yet another indication of a foreign power probing successfully and focusing on what appears to be data that would identify people with security clearances."
But the Chinese embassy in Washington denied responsibility, saying the accusations were "not responsible and counterproductive" and warned the US against "jumping to conclusions".
An FBI investigation into how security was breached is ongoing. The Department of Homeland Security says it will continue to "monitor federal networks for any suspicious activity and is working aggressively with the affected agencies to conduct investigative analysis to assess the extent of this alleged intrusion," The Guardian reports.
But Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the intelligence committee, is calling for an urgent upgrade to cyber defences. The breach is "among the most shocking because Americans may expect that federal computer networks are maintained with state of the art defences," he said.
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