The New York Times reported recently that Chinese hackers were able to gain access to the personal information of federal employees by breaking into US Government computer networks.

According to the Times, federal officials confirmed that the management system for the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) was accessed by hackers in March. How the cyber criminals were able to access the system was not specified, but officials believe they were targeting the files of tens of thousands of employees who had previously applied for top-secret security clearance.

The fact that malicious Chinese actors targeted the OPM is especially worrying because the agency oversees a system called e-QIP which contains sensitive personal information of federal employees applying for security clearances, including financial data. Federal employees who have already been granted clearances also have information stored within the system and are frequently asked to update their personal data on the site.