USA, 13 June, 2015 : American officials said that hackers that are suspected to have links to China have accessed sensitive data on US intelligence and military personnel.
Major hacks details had emerged last week however, details about potentiality of second breach have been given by officials.
It is feared that the attack could leave US security personnel or their families open to blackmail.
Office of Personnel Management (OPM) involved agency is yet to comment on the reports.
Officials, who spoke anonymous 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 every personal information including eye colour, to financial history, to past substance abuse, as well as contact detaiils for the individual’s friends and relatives.
A White House statement said that investigators had a “high degree of confidence” that background information on government employees had been accessed.
Former US counter intelligence official Joel Brenner, called the data a “gold mine” for hackers.
It is believed the breach of personal data of US government workers announced last week may be far larger than reported previously.
Initially, it is estimated that people that are potentially affected are 4 million, but officials close to the investigation told AP that as many as 14 million might be involved.
