In a policy speech Tuesday, President Xi said China wanted to cooperate with the United States to prevent cyberattacks. He said China is not the aggressor, and was attacked, as well. But many American officials do not believe that.
President Obama has said he is considering taking action against China because of the attacks. This week, a U.S. government agency released its inquiry of an attack on the personnel records of millions of government workers. The Office of Personnel Management found that more than 5.5 million fingerprint records were stolen in the cyberattack. That is more than five times as many as officials first reported. The attack was discovered earlier this year. It affected about 22-million federal workers, applicants, and their families.
Investigators have told reporters privately they believe the Chinese government is responsible for the attack. But U.S. officials have not yet made this accusation public. Federal experts say that, “as of now, the ability to misuse fingerprint data is limited. However, this probability could change over time as technology evolves.” The attack could put at risk any U.S. intelligence officers or individuals working secretly overseas.
