OK, so you’ve been hacked. Several times.  Along with 20-plus million other people.

You didn’t ask for it. You didn’t have protection.

You didn’t even know about the stealth attacks until months later. By now, however, you know most of the 5Ws (who, what, when and where).

What’s missing is the all-important, frequently never explained “why” part of the equation.  The “why” question is one you may live with for decades.

The dual hacks took place last year. They were aimed at very personal (and important) information on current, retired, former and prospective federal workers. There was actually a third, smaller, hack in 2014 that went after files of thousands of feds who had applied for top-secret clearances.

Again, the “why” question.

The clearest explanation of the OPM hacks comes, not unexpectedly from the Congressional Research Service.  It’s independent of the executive branch and is known for doing top-notch work.  Some of Uncle Sam’s best and brightest work there.  It does its own sleuthing, and also leans heavily on media reports of an event, when necessary.

The latest CRS report — Cyber Intrusion into U.S. Office of Personnel Management: In Brief — won’t win a headliner award.  But the contents are as good as it gets. And the best, most orderly explanation, to date, on what happened.  While other agencies have been told to cool it in speculating on who the bad “actor” was, the CRS report mentions China several times as a prime suspect.

What?  So what the hackers got, the CRS says, and who they hacked may at least partially answer the all important “why” part of the equation.

What the hackers got:  Names, Social Security numbers, job assignments, performance ratings, training information, personal information (who you’re sleeping with) and user names and passwords people used to fill out background investigation forms.  More than 20 million people are part of the you’ve-been-hacked pool, including prospective employees and contractors who applied for background investigations in 2000 and thereafter.  In an area like Washington, it is almost impossible for any of us, man, woman or child, to either not be one of the hacked, or to have a friend, neighbor or relative who was.

What the hackers got, and from whom, would be gold to an identify thief.  But it would be even more valuable  to a foreign power. The info tells  who people are, where they work, how much they make, and all sorts of personal information — both self-supplied and as the result of background investigations — that could make some people subject to pressure or blackmail.  And it could be years down the road before you — if one of the targeted — know.

Many government reports are better than sleeping pills.  This one, its only seven pages, is better than some mysteries.  Just don’t look for a happy ending.

Nearly Useless Factoid:

By Michael O’Connell

Americans consume approximately 387 million pounds of sauerkraut each year.

Source: FoodReference.com

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