A magnifying glass is held in front of a computer screen in this picture illustration on hacking taken in Berlin May 21, 2013. (Photo : Reuters/Pawel Kopczynski)
In one of the worst cases of data breaches to take place in decades, more than 5 million fingerprint images have been stolen from the Office of Personal Management (OPM).
The United States government agency has been the victim of a Chinese espionage operation that has affected more than 20 million former and current federal employees as well as new job applicants.
The hacked data which is feared to be in the hands of Chinese intelligence, experts feel, may provide a spotlight on the recruitment of informants within the U.S. government, The Guardian reported.
OPM spokesman Samuel Schumach said in a statement obtained by the publication the agency has been working with the Department of Defence. In addition, the Pentagon's National Security Agency, has also been brought in to help with the situation.
The data hack comes against the backdrop of an impending visit by President Xi Jinping from China where the White House has indicated that issues of cyber security will be taken up as an urgent discussion with the Chinese leader.
In a bid to alleviate fears of misuse of the stolen fingerprint images, the OPM has said the ability for hackers to misuse the data is limited. However, the agency warned the probability of a security breach could be inevitable over time, as technology changes and evolves.
While President Obama's administration has not directly nor publicly blamed China, it is yet to take any public action in retaliation for the data hack. However, Intelligence officials say the hacked data has been quite a significant intelligence target, according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, the Republicans have slammed President Obama's administration for revealing the devastating information at a time when Washington is preoccupied with the Pope Francis' visit to the US.
