China-based hackers are suspected once again of breaking into U.S. government computer networks, and the entire federal workforce could be at risk this time, reports the Associated Press. The Department of Homeland Security said data from the Office of Personnel Management — the human resources department for the federal government — and the Interior Department had been compromised. A U.S. official said the breach could potentially affect every federal agency.
In Beijing Friday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry dismissed the allegations, with a spokesman saying China hopes the U.S. would be “less suspicious and stop making any unverified allegations, but show more trust and participate more in cooperation.” Cybersecurity expert Morgan Wright of the Center for Digital Government, an advisory institute, said the federal government’s intrusion detection system, known as EINSTEIN, “certainly appears to be a failure at this point. The government would be better off outsourcing their security to the private sector where there’s at least some accountability.”