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| Hackers 'stole data of millions of US government workers' | Hackers 'stole data of millions of US government workers' |
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| Hackers that breached US government databases stole the personal information of at least 21.5 million people, officials said on Thursday. | Hackers that breached US government databases stole the personal information of at least 21.5 million people, officials said on Thursday. |
| Those affected include government job applicants, federal contractors, and over a million of their partners, the Office of Personnel Management said. | Those affected include government job applicants, federal contractors, and over a million of their partners, the Office of Personnel Management said. |
| The figure is more than five times higher than the number of people that were feared to have been affected. | The figure is more than five times higher than the number of people that were feared to have been affected. |
| The data breach, which came to light in April, was widely blamed on China. | The data breach, which came to light in April, was widely blamed on China. |
| Authorities in Beijing have publicly denied any involvement. | |
| The breach prompted a series of hearings in Congress and widespread criticism of the state of US cyber defences. | |
| Last month, officials said personnel records of 4.2 million current and former federal government employees had been stolen in an incident. | |
| On Thursday, the OPM said that while investigating that breach they discovered additional information had also been compromised, including the social security numbers of 21.5 million individuals. | |
| The stolen data also includes health and financial information, criminal records, and the names and addresses of government employees and their relatives. | |
| Those affected include 19.7 million people who underwent background checks and 1.8 million others, mostly the partners of job applicants. |