The State Department is still trying to identify the perpetrator behind last year’s breach of the Office of Personnel Management, a top official said on Wednesday.
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The comment was made by Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Blinken was responding to a question from Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., about a September agreement on cybersecurity reached between the U.S. and China. Specifically, Perdue wanted to know why the Obama administration refused to attribute responsibility for the OPM breach to China.
“Was there something in [the agreement], was there a reason we did not want to disclose that?” Perdue asked.
“There is an ongoing investigation of what happened with regard to the Office of Personnel Management,” Blinken replied. “Certainly, I think we all share the concern, both as a matter of public policy and as a personal matter … that intrusion gained access to the files of many people working in government. Trying to attribute the exact source of that intrusion is an ongoing effort.”
In spite of wide consensus among intelligence officials and cybersecurity experts that the Chinese government was behind the breach, China has consistently denied responsibility, and the Obama administration has been careful not to contradict that stance.
Citing a report in Chinese media about the September agreement, Perdue asked if there was more to it than Americans knew about. Blinken said that he could not recall, but added, “We’ve made it clear to the Chinese there are some actions in the cyber realm, understanding that countries try to get information from each other, there are some intrusions that are too big to ignore.”
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Perdue concluded in asking when the State Department might be able to attribute responsibility for the attack. Blinken demurred, saying, “I need to check with my colleagues.”
Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work drew the wrath of Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., for giving similar answers to his committee in September. “We have identified the [Chinese People’s Liberation Army], the building in which they operate,” McCain said at the time. “Please don’t deceive this committee as though we don’t know who’s responsible … That’s just very disingenuous.”
