U.S. officials are concerned that the Chinese government could use stolen records of millions of federal workers and contractors to piece together the identities of intelligence officers secretly posted in China over the years.
WASHINGTON — U.S. officials are concerned the Chinese government could use stolen records of millions of federal workers and contractors to piece together the identities of intelligence officers secretly posted in China over the years.
The potential exposure of the intelligence officers could prevent a large cadre of American spies from ever being posted abroad again, current and former intelligence officials said. It would be a significant setback for intelligence agencies already concerned that a recent data breach at the Office of Personnel Management is a massive windfall for future Chinese espionage efforts.