Approximately 18 million Americans reportedly had their personal records compromised when hackers attacked the Office of Personnel Management’s databases last year.
That number is exponentially bigger than the 4.2 million OPM first acknowledged earlier this month, and far more than the “up to 14 million” figure that began circulating after OPM acknowledged a second attack reached the sensitive information of not just current and former federal employees, but also of some people who simply applied to work for the federal government.
According to CNN, the larger number reflects family members of government workers who may have had their information stolen.
OPM has steadfastly refused to revise its estimate of the number of people affected, saying the matter is still under investigation. But according to CNN, last week FBI Director James Comey told senators behind closed doors that the figure is 18 million.
OPM Director Katherine Archuleta will testify again before Congress on the hack on Tuesday, this time before a subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
