In 2014, hackers accessed troves of applications for security clearances for some of the most sensitive jobs in government, the Office of Personnel Management said Thursday. Information about at least 22.1 million people — including federal employees, as well as their friends, relatives and others listed as references — was exposed in the breach.
The director of national intelligence oversees the security clearance system of the federal government and federal contractors, with the Office of Personnel Management handling most of the security clearance background checks.*
[Story: OPM director resigns under pressure after scope of data hack was revealed ]
Sources: Government Accountability Office, Office of Personnel Management’s Office of the Inspector General, Office of Personnel Management’s Federal Investigative Services. | Cristina Rivero and Jia Lynn Yang/The Washington Post. Graphic published September 21, 2013. Updated: 