Cybersecurity
Hackers of U.S. Personnel Records Got 5.6 Million Fingerprints
- Fingerprints increasingly used to access devices, buildings
- Announcement comes as U.S., China leaders prepare to meet
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The fingerprint records of about 5.6 million current and former federal workers, contractors and job applicants were stolen in the breach of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s computer system, up from an initial estimate of 1.1 million, the agency said Wednesday.
The breach is significant because fingerprints are increasingly being used by government agencies, corporations and consumers for access to computers, buildings and other devices.