President Barack Obama, who appointed Archuleta in 2013, accepted the resignation as his administration pledged to step up its cybersecurity efforts and help the 22.1 million people whose data was stolen. Beth Cobert, deputy director for management at the Office of Management and Budget, will assume the role of acting director of OPM.
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“This is in addition to the 4.2 million current and ex- employees whose information was potentially compromised as a result of a separate data breach into OPM’s personnel records”. Check back soon for further information.
Embattled Office of Personnel Management Director Katherine Archuleta has resigned, officials said today.
Archuleta’s position has been under pressure for weeks since the hack was divulged. On Thursday, within hours of the Obama administration releasing new details about the scope of the breach, House Republican leaders demanded new leadership in the agency, and a number of Democrats followed.
The White House has refused to point the finger at China, saying only that the same party was responsible for both of the breaches.
Before that she worked in the Obama administration as Chief of Staff to ex- Labor Secretary Hilda Solis. Mark Warner. When asked on a press call if she would step down, Archuleta said “no” and credited her agency with improving its cybersecurity since she had taken over.
The massive hack is believed to the biggest in the history of the United States.
The government organization said an investigative team found that of the 21.5 million affected, 19.7 million were applicants for background investigations and 1.8 were non-applicants, such as spouses.
“This is the absolute right call”, said Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Chaffetz said at the time Archuleta had “failed utterly and totally”. She stepped down Friday.
The breach could potentially expose USA spies to danger if a foreign entity is able to determine their identity or gain information about them through the hack, security officials fear. Compromised records also include findings from interviews conducted by employment background investigators and fingerprints, as well as usernames and passwords.
Still, the government declined to say who was behind the attack.
In a related matter, arrangements for granting security clearances to employees and contractors have been seriously affected since a computer system used to receive and process applications was turned off temporarily on June 29, government security sources said.
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“Each and every one of us at OPM is committed to protecting the safety and the security of the info that is placed in our trust”, Archuleta said.
