GAO data compromised in contractor breach

The U.S. Government Accountability Office disclosed that data from nearly 6,000 of its current and former employees had been compromised following a data breach at IT contractor CGI Federal last month, Reuters reports. Attackers targeted vulnerable systems belonging to CGI Federal to obtain access to individuals' names, addresses, and Social Security numbers, as well as certain banking details, according to the GAO, which noted that it was initially informed about the incident on Jan. 17. No specifics regarding the vulnerability exploited in the attack were provided, with GAO spokesperson Chuck Young deferring questions on the extent of the attack to CGI Federal. Such a breach comes amid CGI Federal's increased focus on cybersecurity, with the company noting in recent testimony before Congress its role in offering IT protection services to a hundred government agencies, as well as cybersecurity services to the Federal Communications Commission and U.S. Agency for International Development, in addition to the Departments of State, Commerce, Labor, and Justice.