Report: CIA withdraws officers from US embassy in China

[unhappycamper]

http://www.dw.com/en/report-cia-withdraws-officers-from-us-embassy-in-china/a-18751859

The US has pulled CIA agents from its embassy in China's capital Beijing in response to records compromised in cyber attacks, reported "The Washington Post." The attacks are said to have originated in China.

Report: CIA withdraws officers from US embassy in China
30.09.2015

he US Central Intelligence Agency withdrew a number of its agents from the American embassy in China's capital Beijing following two cyber attacks on the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM), reported "The Washington Post" on Thursday.

In July, the US government said that hackers stole data of more than 21 million public employees , including vital records and background checks for State Department staff, between 2014 and 2015.

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"The Washington Post," citing senior US officials, said the cyber attacks were carried out with the intention of identifying intelligence agents for the purpose of obtaining sensitive information via blackmail or recruitment.

By comparing the stolen OPM records with the names of those working at the US embassy in Beijing, parties could effectively identify who is a spy, since intelligence agents are not subject to State Department background checks.