Criminals steal data from US government officials

A cyber attack on a company that conducts background checks for the US Department of Homeland Security may have stolen the data of approximately 25,000 government officials. That number could also rise, it was announced Friday.

The hack took place early this month at US Investigations Services, a company that conducts background checks on government officials on behalf of the Department of Homeland Security. Security experts called the break-in “disturbing” to Reuters, because it concerns sensitive information, which should show whether an official has been guilty of extortion, for example.

Homeland Security will inform affected employees, an estimated 25,000 officials, in the coming days that their data may have been stolen. US Investigations Services confirmed the break-in, but would not say how much data was stolen. The FBI has launched an investigation. In the meantime, as a precautionary measure, Homeland Security will no longer do business with US Investigations Services, Reuters said.

It is not known exactly how the hack could have taken place and who is behind it, although it is reported to be an organization affiliated with an as-yet-unknown government. The American company also only releases that its employees saw that there had been a break-in, according to the website. “Due to the involvement of the judiciary and the timeliness of this burglary, we cannot provide more information.”