Office of Personnel Mgmt: 5.6M estimated to have fingerprints stolen in breach

The Office of Personnel Management announced Wednesday that 5.6 million people are now estimated to have had their fingerprint information stolen.

That number was originally thought to be about 1.1 million, OPM said in a statement. About 21.5 million individuals had their Social Security Numbers and other sensitive information affected by the hack.

Office of Personnel Mgmt: 5.6M estimated to have fingerprints stolen in breach

According to OPM, "federal experts believe that, as of now, the ability to misuse fingerprint data is limited." The office acknowledged, however, that future technologies could take advantage of this information.

Okay, I'll ask the question:

What "future technologies" could take advantage of this info?

What are they supposed to do with stolen finger prints? Print them into latex and commit crime with somebody else's traces left behind? That would be Crazay, like king of the trees.

a reply to: wasaka

I can't wait for all the republicans who have for decades worked to cut government spending, to have all there personal information hacked, due to NOT SPENDING enough to secure government records....oh, the irony. the only problem is that the lower-level innocent government workers, are the ones that won't have the time and money to repair their own hacked lives

a reply to: jimmyx

I would like statists who have spearheaded the unprecedented collection and storage of everybody's sensitive data to acknowledge that the data cannot be secured.

According to you, that is because government is poor and can't afford to protect that data and that the failure of society to turn out its pockets completely is the culprit.

Obviously, I think not.

originally posted by: slapjacks
What are they supposed to do with stolen finger prints? Print them into latex and commit crime with somebody else's traces left behind? That would be Crazay, like king of the trees.

Who says you have to leave them behind. Upload those same prints into another database and suddenly the people on record have changed. Therefore whoever did commit a crime, could be absolved just by comparing the two.

Besides that, who knows, maybe future fingerprint scanner technology? I mean, someone out there probably has a whole bunch of ideas on how to use/monetize/manipulate this data.

God! The incompetence of this administration is appalling. Stolen Fingerprints! Stolen Identity! Now all they need is a data bank with your DNA and the possibilities are endless.

This bigger than the op, and ties in to what else is going on now

I was going to do a thread on this, but it ties nicely in to this one here.

In the last few years, FBI has been dramatically expanding its biometrics programs, whether by adding face recognition to its vast Next Generation Identification (NGI) database or pushing out mobile biometrics capabilities for “time-critical situations” through its Repository for Individuals of Special Concern (RISC). But two new developments—both introduced with next to no media attention—will impact far more every-day Americans than anything the FBI has done on biometrics in the past. Read about the first development below and the second here.

With Little Fanfare, FBI Ramps Up Biometrics Programs (Yet Again)—Part 1

NONE of the information the State has on us, some information they shouldn't even have to begin with.

Is not even close to being 'SAFE'.

originally posted by: boncho
I mean, someone out there probably has a whole bunch of ideas on how to use/monetize/manipulate this data.

Yea, it sounds like you have a head start on this. it's a good thing you use your power for good.

a reply to: greencmp

maybe if the government took the same precautions in protecting data taken from the middle class and poor, as it does for the wealthy and powerful, I might believe you.

a reply to: jimmyx

It does, there is only one database.

originally posted by: jimmyx
I can't wait for all the republicans who have for decades worked to cut government spending, to have all there personal information hacked, due to NOT SPENDING enough to secure government records....

Yeah, they should have given them a billion dollars to produce a secure website like they did with Obamacare.

The government just herp derps along.

originally posted by: jimmyx
a reply to: wasaka

I can't wait for all the republicans who have for decades worked to cut government spending, to have all there personal information hacked, due to NOT SPENDING enough to secure government records....oh, the irony. the only problem is that the lower-level innocent government workers, are the ones that won't have the time and money to repair their own hacked lives

This is not a political thing. All parties are working the same agenda here. Its happening in other countries too. Its not about funding. These things will happen no matter how much money is thrown at it. Its the agenda you see, to bring in the ultimate authorisation tool, the implantable chip. They are pushing for it all over the planet and these data breeches are part of the process into brainwashing the people into accepting it. I

I think near future OS's are planned to replace password/passcode security access with fingerprint ID. This could nullify that idea I suppose.

originally posted by: slapjacks
What are they supposed to do with stolen finger prints? Print them into latex and commit crime with somebody else's traces left behind? That would be Crazay, like king of the trees.

Deep Panda (China) is the "king of the trees"
and they seem to building a database on all
Americans like a secret Facebook. www.businessinsider.com...

Bloomberg reports that many cybersecurity companies think that China is building a "Facebook of human intelligence."

Analysts fear China will use the information to expose
American spies or blackmail government employees.

Americans now fear blackmail or the loss of field agents when they should be alarmed about a coming deluge of undetectable spies and sleeper agents. Because Beijing has the blueprints to create a perfect mole.

blogs.reuters.com...

Chinese hackers 'stole US government employees' sex secrets and details of their gambling habits and debts'
- Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk... n

As one former senior official told the Times, “The mystery here is not how they got cleaned out by the Chinese. The mystery is what took the Chinese so long.”

It seems the breach was the result a phishing attack. So the trouble arose from personnel actions in the office.

In the wake of the Office of Personnel Management hack this year, which reportedly took advantage of a phishing attack to steal credentials used to gain access to highly sensitive personnel records, US federal agencies have been increasing their security training and employee testing around phishing.

Link

Also an ATS thread.

The big government failures just keep getting worse...

and worse....

and worse.

originally posted by: roadgravel
It seems the breach was the result a phishing attack. So the trouble arose from personnel actions in the office.

In the wake of the Office of Personnel Management hack this year, which reportedly took advantage of a phishing attack to steal credentials used to gain access to highly sensitive personnel records, US federal agencies have been increasing their security training and employee testing around phishing.

Link

Also an ATS thread.

I feel much better.

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: roadgravel
It seems the breach was the result a phishing attack. So the trouble arose from personnel actions in the office.

In the wake of the Office of Personnel Management hack this year, which reportedly took advantage of a phishing attack to steal credentials used to gain access to highly sensitive personnel records, US federal agencies have been increasing their security training and employee testing around phishing.

Link

Also an ATS thread.

I feel much better.

Just saying the dept itself was part of the problem. Someone just didn't hack straight in without inside help.

originally posted by: slapjacks
What are they supposed to do with stolen finger prints? Print them into latex and commit crime with somebody else's traces left behind? That would be Crazay, like king of the trees.

Another way to think of it is this: Hacking is just as much about inserting & altering data as it is about stealing data. So if I was a hacker w/access to these stolen fingerprints, I could insert false fingerprints into random law enforcement records. Imagine me replacing several sex offender's fingerprints w/your fingerprints. Or altering the digital copies of fingerprint records for wealthy clients who are suspects in a crime.

Also, 3D printing is improving rapidly now. So yeah, they could probably 3D print models of people's fingerprints as gloves or something else altogether. Then there's biometrics usage with some credit card companies & businesses (for employees). It raises the possibility of identity theft.

Of course, the most likely scenario is they're selling this info to companies & law enforcement agencies around the world.

a reply to: enlightenedservant

That part of the current thoughts on cyber warfare. Modifying data might be going on unnoticed by many. Opens all sorts of doors.