In a significant security breach, cyber attackers accessed millions of federal employee files from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), including over 1.1 million fingerprint records. This breach could have serious consequences, affecting 21.5 million individuals. While the culprits remain unidentified, American intelligence suspects that China may be involved. The stolen fingerprints could be used to enhance surveillance against the U.S.
Every federal agency is affected by this breach, leaving no one exempt. The attackers could potentially create physical copies of the fingerprints using materials like latex, similar to scenes from the movie Mission Impossible. These duplicates could unlock devices secured by fingerprint technology, leading to exposure of confidential discussions, disruption of investigations, or problems with international negotiations.