(Bloomberg) -- The agency that manages U.S. government personnel records shut down the online system used to conduct background checks, three weeks after officials disclosed a cyber-attack that stole data on as many as 18 million people.
The Office of Personnel Management said Monday that its Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing system, or e-QIP, was temporarily suspended for four to six weeks because of a security flaw.
The e-QIP’s Web-based system is used to conduct background checks for more than 100 federal agencies, according to the OPM’s website.
“This proactive, temporary suspension of the e-QIP system will ensure our network is as secure as possible for the sensitive data with which OPM is entrusted,” OPM Director Katherine Archuleta said in the statement.
The agency said there is no evidence that the security flaw had been exploited by hackers. It was found as a result of a comprehensive security assessment in the wake of the hacking attack first revealed June 4.
A telephone call and e-mail to OPM seeking more information about the shutdown weren’t immediately returned.
The e-QIP system allowed those seeking security clearances to electronically file a 127-page form that requires sensitive information, including Social Security numbers.
“These are people who have sensitive information, and we drill down on these folks,” said Representative Stephen Lynch, a Democrat from Massachusetts, in a House Oversight Committee hearing June 16. “We ask them everything.”
Lawmakers called for the resignation of Archuleta after she testified before a congressional committee last week.
U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said at a conference last week that China is a “leading suspect” in the hack.
Copyright 2018 Bloomberg. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Complete your profile to continue reading and get FREE access to BenefitsPRO, part of your ALM digital membership.
Your access to unlimited BenefitsPRO content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking benefits news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
