WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released the following reaction to the Office of Personnel Management announcement that roughly 21.5 million federal employees and government contractors had their sensitive information stolen in a cyber attack that targeted the federal government’s database of security background checks:
“The magnitude of the recent data breach at the Office of Personnel Management is alarming and deeply troubling. This breach will have far-reaching consequences for 21.5 million individuals — mostly federal employees and government contractors, and even some of their associates, families, and loved ones — as their personal and private information is now at risk for exploitation. This data breach puts our national security at risk, too. It is critical that OPM takes immediate action to help the victims of the breach and provide information in a timely and transparent manner. While the cause of this breach and its repercussions are still unfolding, one thing should be clear: we need to come together – in Congress, the Administration, and across federal agencies – and launch an all-hands-on-deck effort to secure our federal networks. Too many malicious cyber hackers are good at what they do, and they’re getting better all the time. On the heels of this news, we need to act with urgency to bolster our cyber defenses across our federal agencies. We owe it to these millions of individuals – and to the American public – to begin restoring their confidence in our government’s ability to keep their personal information safe and secure.”