US military, intelligence data 'accessed' in major hacking

Hackers with suspected links to China appear to have accessed sensitive data on US intelligence and military personnel, American officials say.

Details of a major hack emerged last week, but officials have now given details of a potential second breach.

Tap Here to Add The Daily Star As A Trusted Source

It is feared that the attack could leave US security personnel or their families open to blackmail.

The agency involved, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), is yet to comment on the reports.

Officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to the Associated Press (AP) news agency, believe the attackers have targeted the forms submitted by intelligence and military personnel for security clearances.

The document includes personal information - everything from eye colour, to financial history, to past substance abuse, as well as contact details for the individual's friends and relatives.

A White House statement said investigators had a "high degree of confidence" that background information on government employees had been accessed.

It is also believed the breach of personal data of US government workers announced last week may be far larger than previously reported. Initial estimates put the number of people potentially affected at four million, but officials close to the investigation told AP that as many as 14 million might be involved.

The US has said the hackers, thought to be behind both attacks, are believed to be based in China. Beijing called the claims "irresponsible".

According to a New York Times report, the White House also revealed that President Barack Obama was considering financial sanctions against the attackers who gained access to the files of millions of federal workers.

At the White House, officials said that Obama was weighing the use of an executive order he signed in April that allows the Treasury secretary to impose sanctions on individuals or groups that engage in malicious cyberattacks, or people who benefit from them.

 But the use of the sanctions authority could be more significant this time if Obama wielded it against China, which officials believe has continued to sponsor cyberattacks.