Joint Subcommittee Hearing Examines the OPM Data Breach
(Washington, DC) – Today the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Subcommittees on Research and Technology and Oversight held a hearing to examine the recent data breaches at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), discuss the implications of this breach for employees, and discuss ongoing challenges for protecting information technology from future cyber-attacks.
Ranking Member of the Research and Technology Subcommittee Daniel Lipinski (D-IL) said, “Cybercrime and cyber-espionage continue to threaten our national security, our critical infrastructure, businesses of all sizes, and every single American. This latest data breach at OPM is just another example of that. In the OPM breach, millions of federal employees’ personal information has been compromised, leading to significant concerns about how the stolen information will be used. Additionally, since OPM conducts more than 90 percent of all security clearance background investigations, this breach is an example of how cyber-attacks threaten our national security. We must do better.”
Ranking Member of the Oversight Subcommittee Don Beyer (D-VA) said, “There is no understating the impact from this breach on our federal workforce. After already enduring a government shutdown, forced furloughs, wage stagnation, and staffing cuts, government employees now have the added insult of a breach of their personal data. These civil servants are right to demand answers. OPM must do its utmost to enhance security and to be vigilant about communications with all impacted agencies.”
Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) emphasized the importance of ensuring that our federal agencies are best equipped to prevent breaches such as this. In her statement for the record she said, “Cybersecurity will always be about managing risks. No information security system, whether public sector or private sector, can be completely protected. And unfortunately the question is when, not if, a system will get hacked. Therefore, we must ensure that we have the appropriate policies and oversight in place to help federal agencies protect their data, and that we have provided federal agencies with the resources they need to do the job effectively.”
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