More Protection for Federal Employees who got their Data Hacked

June 12, 2016

The federal employees who became the victim of the massive data breach at OPM last year may get extra protection and benefits from the OPM. The OPM has refused to comment on the situation but employee unions are demanding better protection. The issue can be a hot topic now that the 18 months of protection offered is to expire soon.

How Were the Federal Employees Victimized?

The data breach had exposed the data of more than 21.5 million people. The hackers have penetrated the OPM website and the website of its related outsourcing contractors to get access to the data of all the current and former federal employees whose data was collected as a part of the background investigations done at OPM.

The Changes

As of now the people who got the impact of the data breach are eligible for 3 years of credit monitoring services and identity theft protection as well as up to $1 million in identity theft protection. The head of the company currently providing those services has hinted that the protection period may be expanded to 10 years and the protection amount to $5 million. It is pertinent to add that the expansion of the protection was directed by Congress last year.

The Vulnerability

Bob Gregg who currently serves as the CEO of ID Experts has stated that this better package might not be enough and may still leave people vulnerable. The company, ID Experts got a $330 million contract from OPM after the announcement of the massive breach. He added that using the data exposed in the hack to receive medical benefits is a fraudulent activity is growing popular day by day and the OPM has informally considered the idea to include protection against this fraud in the expansion of the protection.

The Appeal

While the OPM spokesperson declined to comment on the assumptions of expanding the protection, lawmakers and employee unions want better protection. The federal employee unions have asked for extended services and the lawmakers want the hack victims to get lifetime protections.

The Anticipation

Gregg has stated that the matter of protection would heat up soon enough as the 18 months of protection that was given to the original population of 4.2 million hack victims is about to expire. It is being predicted that all the hack victims, i.e., the federal employees would surely speak up for attaining better protection in the future as well.