Hack on U.S. Govt. may be far larger than first believed (Update)

The hacking U.S. Government employees' personal data maybe on a much larger scale than previously believed.

It is now being reported that records of between nine and 14 million current and former civilian employees may have been taken from the Office of Personnel Management, rather than the four million figure announced last week.

According to The New York Times and The Verge, there are now concerns that the information could be used for blackmail

It is being widely reported that Chinese hackers, possibly state sponsored, are believed to be behind the breach.

The NYT reports that the hackers may have acquired the names of people living in China who are friends, relatives, or associates of government employees, possibly even diplomats or other officials. There are now concerns that the information can be used for blackmail.

High-level American officials are reportedly required to regularly update the government on their relatives and contacts as part of obtaining security clearances, which is why that information was in the hands of the Office of Personnel Management. The NYT reports that at least some of this information has been compromised.