CBS News: China Cyber Attack ‘Embarrassment’ for Administration

[rush transcript]

ROSE: “We have new information on one of the largest cyber attacks to ever hit the United States government. It targeted at least 4 million federal employees and could affect every government agency.”

O’DONNELL: “This morning China's government says allegations that Chinese hackers carried out the attack are irresponsible. Major Garrett is at the White House, talking with his sources about the attack. Major, good morning.”

GARRETT: “Good morning. U.S. officials say Chinese hackers either working for the central government or indirectly on its behalf are the leading suspects in this massive cyber attack. The U.S. government is not so sure as it was back in December 2014, when first the FBI, then President Obama publicly blamed North Korea for the cyber attack on Sony pictures entertainment. China is the leading suspect based on malicious software used and the information targeted. U.S. officials blamed Chinese hackers for infiltrating the office of personnel management in March of 2014. That same agency was struck in this attack as was the interior department. Now, historically Chinese hackers has (indecipherable) information on federal worker personnel background and profiles. For this reason U.S. officials fear the hackers this time may well have obtained access to information about background checks and security clearances on current and former federal employees. Chinese hackers gravitate to this information, U.S. officials told us, to make the spies that they send to the United States look as normal as possible, filling their own background files with information similar to what they gain from hacking into U.S. government computers. Chinese hackers are far more interested in this data than personal financial information, officials told us. Now government investigators attacked to this hack in April and within weeks confirmed that it penetrated the office of personnel management and the Interior Department neither system was protected by the government newest cyber defense system called Einstein. Now, that system is due to be installed across all of the federal government in 2016, it currently protects about half of the federal government, officials told us. President Obama has been briefed on all of this and the size and scope of this cyber attack is unprecedented and an embarrassment to an administration that's made cyber security a top priority.”