WASHINGTON – The U.S. Office of Personnel Management announced Thursday that a recent cybersecurity incident affecting its systems and data may have exposed the personal information of current and former federal employees.
According to a Defense Department news release, OPM subsequently notified federal government departments and agencies, including the DoD.
OPM is notifying approximately 4 million individuals whose personally identifiable information may have been compromised, the release said. The notifications will be sent beginning June 8 and will continue through June 19 by email and U.S. mail.
OPM will offer affected individuals credit monitoring services and identity theft insurance through CSID, a company that specializes in identity theft protection and fraud resolution, the release said. This comprehensive, 18-month membership includes credit report access, credit monitoring, identity theft insurance and recovery services and is available immediately at no cost to affected individuals identified by OPM. Employees whose information was affected will receive a notification directly from CSID, the release said.
According to the release, DoD employees are encouraged to review the OPM news release for additional information regarding steps to mitigate fraud and identity theft.
The communication will contain information
regarding services being provided at no cost to people affected by the incident,
including credit report access, credit monitoring, identity theft insurance and recovery services. Additional information will be made
available beginning at 8 a.m. CST on Monday at www.csid.com/opm.