How Much Damage Can the OPM Hackers Do With a Million Fingerprints?

National Journal ^ | July 14, 2015 | By Dustin Volz

[Brad from Tennessee]

The Office of Personnel Management announced last week that the personal data for 21.5 million people had been stolen. But for national security professionals and cybersecurity experts, the more troubling issue is the theft of 1.1 million fingerprints.

Much of their concern rests with the permanent nature of fingerprints and the uncertainty about just how the hackers intend to use them. Unlike a Social Security number, address, or password, fingerprints cannot be changed—once they are hacked, they're hacked for good. And government officials have less understanding about what adversaries could do or want to do with fingerprints, a knowledge gap that undergirds just how frightening many view the mass lifting of them from OPM.

"It's probably the biggest counterintelligence threat in my lifetime," said Jim Penrose, former chief of the Operational Discovery Center at the National Security Agency and now an executive vice president at the cybersecurity company Darktrace. "There's no situation we've had like this before, the compromise of our fingerprints. And it doesn't have any easy remedy or fix in the world of intelligence."

Though the idea of hacked fingerprints conjures up troubling scenarios gleaned from Hollywood's panoply of espionage capers, not much is currently known about those that OPM said were swiped in the data breach, which began last year and has been privately linked by officials to China. . .

[areukiddingme1]

I keep asking and yet no one seems to care; “The Office of Personnel Management announced last week that the personal data for 21.5 million people had been stolen[, under President Bush.]

So currently it’s just a non-story and the media could care less — CNN and Wolf Blitzer in particular got all frothy at the mouth for a month, with 24/7 coverage over Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 — Military and civilian personal data of 21.5 million people...crickets...I suppose if it wasn’t for double standards, the media would have no standards at all.

[Does so]

Could 3-D printing create a latex like finger tip one could wear to bypass finger print scanners or even frame a person for a crime?

I see a growing market for cadavers' fingertips (or the fingertips of a monkey, whose "friction ridges" can't be eliminated from those of humans). Either can be made into a "finger-cot" device.

[Cringing Negativism Network]

I recently moved from California to Texas.

Part of the move was to get a new Texas license, I have to say it was a real hassle.

I appreciate they’re paying attention, but I went back to DMV a total of four times I think. However I’m all set now.

:)

[wally_bert]

Q did something similar in Diamonds Are Forever with Peter Frank’s fingerprint. Bond had to hand it to Q.

[CGASMIA68]

The criminal defense side would be interesting also...well your dis-honor my clients prints were hacked in 2015 so he wasn’t at the scene he was home

[PAR35]

Yes, many hired through veterans preference. (Over a quarter of civilian employees are veterans.)

[Dr. Ursus]

The Chinese will blackmail Obama,or American Express will get 21 million new applications!

[SisterK]

The wife of the man I work for has been notified. She retired from a veteran’s hospital.

[knarf]

Not to laugh about as in to get enjoyment, but to laugh about as in, the irony of being a government employee

People get frustrated, and get a government job for the ...

wait for it ...

security.

No, it's not funny, but it IS government

Here .... true story;

Wy wife needed health care and a few months ago, I went looking on the internet using the "HealthCare Marketplace"

I signed up on an electronic form giving all KINDS of information (KNOWING it was against my very being to give information out ... but we were sufficiently intimidated, we thought we HAD to do SOMEthing)

After 4 or 5 or 6 pages ... the application froze and wouldn't let me go any further and I closed EVERYTHING out and just said FRIK IT !

A few days later we found a plan that was absolutely perfecr for her and we enrolled and she hass used THAT plan fr the last few months (gyno stuff mostly)

We have gotten a call or a letter almost every week for the last two months from someone telling us;

A) ... we owe premiums or we will be dripped and

B) ... if we pay X now, we will not be dropped

I've called twice, and have fielded two other calls and explained we went on line, never accepted anything from the marketplace and we have a plan and thank you, remove us

They are all confused because THEIR records say we are there and the fact is we are not

Folks that got government (subsidised) jobs and trying to do it .... but the system is SO broken, SO rigged ... no one knows what they're doing .... nor why.

I feel bad for the folks ... but not for the system we talked about for years here in FR.

[knarf]

OH MY !

Uncle Henry's been dead for four years and he's been committing B&E's at the rate of 2 per week for the last 8 months !!

[knarf]

see my #29

[knarf]

Before I retired, I had to renew my haz endorsement on my CDLA and (so they told me) because of 9/11, I now had to provide a copy of my BC, which I have not had a copy of since 1968 from a fire

I could not get the renewel, nor a job (if CDL becomes expired) until ...

$75 and a few weeks later I provided a pretty, multi-colored copy from my home state that was accepted and all went well from there

I had never had so much trouble just trying to work before

[Gaffer]

I certainly commiserate with you. But as I indicated in my post, if it keeps illegals from getting undue benefits, I’m all for it.

As for you BC problem, just imagine how different things would be today had somebody somewhere INSISTED that Obama provide the same for his run for office before he had the time and power of the Presidency to concoct one.

[knarf]

I remember a movie that repro'd prints from a cadaver onto latex gloves and when the gloves were reversed and worn with the print side exposed, a whole confusing print picture was presented to the leo's ..

I forget the movie

[knarf]

I .. and millions of other Americans ... HAVE these empirical data reserves in our minds and we know ... and we tried ... but the powers that be just raped us anyway.

[P.O.E.]

"I'm going to Disneyland!"

[Gaffer]

For Obama, all it took was Nancy Pelosi to “certify” him.

[knarf]

We remember ... and she's STILL not in prison

I'd sure like to think Trump's interest in the BC would translate over into OTHER fields of "interest" in governmental crimes .... once he's elected

He's been outspoken on a relatively safe (for his life) subject ... the border

But what if he started bringing up the BC coupled WITH the "disappointment" with the O-ministration ?

For whatever .... people are listening to him, but I don't think he can, nor should he ... ride this same pony all the way into the election ala Santorum and abortion

Trump will have to vary to stay viable

[usurper]

I wonder when the government will tell those who had their data breeched.

I was notified 30 days ago by OPM. They gave me two years FREE credit protection. So I feel much better now. /s