The Office of Personnel Management has found yet another computer security problem that could expose the personal information of government employees and contractors to hackers. This time, officials have found a flaw in the agency's so-called e-QIP system, a platform used to complete and submit background investigation forms online for people applying for security clearances. The agency discovered the security vulnerability during a "comprehensive review of the security of OPM’s [information technology] systems," the agency said in a statement. The statement didn't describe the nature of the vulnerability or when it was discovered. Background investigation forms contain a large amount of personal information that foreign spies could use for recruitment or blackmail purposes. As The Daily Beast reported last week, hackers believed to be in China have already compromised files on security applicants that can contain details of their sex lives, financial problems, and drug and alcohol abuse, among other revealing information.
— Shane Harris
