Federal employee financial information hacked

Federal employees were notified on Friday that a hacker may have accessed their personal financial information.

According to the FBI, in 2011, a hacker gained access to a computer that held the financial information of 123,201 federal employees who participate in the Thrift Savings retirement program.

The hacker was able to access the names, addresses and Social Security Numbers of 43,000 people.

The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board sent letters on Friday to everyone whose information was in the affected files. The agency said it is unclear whether any of the data was used but that it is conducting a systemwide review of its security standards.

The Sergeant at Arms notified Senate staff of the hack on Friday.

The House passed legislation to promote cybersecurity efforts last month. The Senate is considering its own bill, but Republicans and Democrats disagree over whether to require companies to meet minimum cybersecurity standards.

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