Data breach exposes Reservists personal information Published Dec. 6, 2015 By Tech. Sgt. Bryan Hull 446th Airlift Wing Public Affairs MCCHORD FIELD, Wash. -- The U.S. Office of Personnel Management, in June 2015 announced that their computer network was compromised, exposing personal information of nearly 21.5 million people, including McChordReservists and civilian personnel.The information obtained during the theft included background investigation records of current, former and prospective federal employees and contractors.Social Security numbers, login information, family information, andfingerprint files are some examples of the information collected during the intrusion."Technology comes with risk," said Chief Master Sgt. Tony Mack, 446th Airlift Wing command chief. "We must all be diligent in protecting ourselves to mitigate vulnerabilities we face every day. Like auto andhomeowners insurance, everyone should have identity theft and creditmonitoring services to protect their financial security. Recent eventsremind us to stay protected."In September 2015, OPM began mailing letters to affected individuals. They expect to be completed with the notification process this month. The letters will include a personal identification number and instructions on how to start identity and credit monitoring.The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Computer Emergency Readiness Team and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are assisting OPM with its investigation to determine the full extent of the breach."The recent OPM information breaches show how sophisticatedcyber-attackers can be," Mack said. "This is a wake-up call for anyone without protection."For more information about OPM's data breach and how to protect personal information visit www.opm.gov/cybersecurity. Additional information about identity theft can be found at www.identitytheft.gov.