Dive Brief:
- The U.S. Office of Personnel announced that it has appointed Clifton Triplett as its new cyber and information technology adviser, Reuters reported.
- OPM is working to strengthen cybersecurity after hackers stole the personal information of 21 million federal workers earlier this year.
- Triplett will help coordinate the agency’s response to cyberattacks and complete its plan to mitigate future incidents, OPM said.
Dive Insight:
Triplett previously advised Fortune 200 companies in a variety of industries.
OPM estimated a total of 21.5 million people had their Social Security numbers and other sensitive information stolen in a widely publicized hacking incident earlier this year. No evidence has surfaced yet suggesting the stolen data has been abused at this point, but some think OPM and the federal government are not taking the incident and its implications for national security seriously enough.
Though the breach was announced six months ago, fewer than a quarter of the 21 million federal workers affected have been officially notified that their personal information was compromised, OPM said.
