Warner Calls for OPM Director to Step Down

Statement

U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, released the following statement:

"The technological and security failures at the Office of Personnel Management predate this director's term, but Director Archuleta's slow and uneven response has not inspired confidence that she is the right person to manage OPM through this crisis. It is time for her to step down, and I strongly urge the administration to choose new management with proven abilities to address a crisis of this magnitude with an appropriate sense of urgency and accountability."

The Office of Personnel Management announced today that, in addition to the previously announced breach affecting the personnel data of 4.2 million individuals, a second, separate theft affecting background investigation records has compromised the personal data, including Social Security Numbers (SSNs), of 21.5 million current and former employees, contractors, and their families and friends. This number includes 19.7 million individuals that applied for a background investigation, and 1.8 million non-applicants, predominantly spouses or co-habitants of applicants. In addition to personal information like names, addresses, and SSNs, the breached data includes answers to questions about sensitive information such as personal finances, past drug use and contact with foreigners.

Sen. Warner, acknowledging that the agency has long faced serious challenges when it comes to IT and cybersecurity management, stressed that today's call for the Director to step down was not a result of the two breaches, but rather the Director's inadequate response.

"As the FBI Director told the Intelligence Committee yesterday, this is a "huge deal' and represents a treasure trove of information for potential adversaries. This is a serious problem that isn't limited to government, as we've already seen with recent breaches involving Anthem, CareFirst, Target, and Home Depot," added Sen. Warner, who is currently preparing to introduce data breach legislation that would create a comprehensive, nationwide and uniform data breach standard requiring timely consumer notification for breaches of financial data and other sensitive information. "Both the private and public sector need to be better prepared for an increasing number of these cyberattacks."

Following the breach, Sen. Warner joined fellow Intelligence Committee member Sen. Angus King (I-ME) in calling on Senate appropriators to increase funding for cybersecurity upgrades at OPM, noting that "it is abundantly clear that technology and cyberattackers evolve in real time and the federal government needs more resources and budget certainty to keep their infrastructure current and strong."

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