5.6 million fingerprints stolen, but the reason is still unknown

iStock_fingerprint3.jpg

Some people are blaming Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which serves as a sort of human resources department for the federal government, some are saying unchangeable biometrics and others are blaming Chinese hackers behind the massive breach in U.S of the OPM’s servers during which fingerprints of 5.6 million people were stolen.

No matter, what was the reason but the tension is about those millions people whose fingerprints have been stolen. What would be the consequence? Or there is nothing to worry about?

The authority concerned needs to come up with some program to address the issue.

Now, the U.S. officials have blamed Chinese government hackers without any evidence. China has also denied to have any involvement in the breach.

The OPM has said that the federal experts believe there is low chance of fingerprints being misused. However, there is a possibility that future technologies could take advantage of this information.

The OPM had earlier confirmed that the number of people was 1.1 million only. However, the number has now increased to 5.6 million.

“The fact that the number [of fingerprints breached] just increased by a factor of five is pretty mind-boggling,” Joseph Lorenzo Hall, the chief technologist at the Center for Democracy & Technology, told Boing Boing. “I’m surprised they didn't have structures in place to determine the number of fingerprints compromised earlier during the investigation.”

Not only the fingerprints, it is said that about 21.5 million individuals had their Social Security Numbers and other sensitive information affected by the hack.

As per the OPM, now, Department of Homeland Security and Defense Department representatives are planning to review the implications of the stolen fingerprint data.!