Why Latest US Cyber Attack May Herald a New Era

The federal government is investigating an immense cyber attack that compromised millions of government personnel files.

The breach threatens the security of 4 million current and former employees and may be just the beginning in a new era of cyber warfare.

The U.S. government believes the massive hack is the work of foreign spies. Federal officials say the hackers want to use the information from personnel files to fake their way into more secure computers and eventually steal significant U.S. secrets.

Officials say the cyber attack originated in China. Although the feds aren't pointing fingers directly at the Chinese government, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee is.

"This was an attack by China against the United States government. It quantifies to espionage," Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said.

The Chinese government says any direct accusation by the U.S. government would be "irresponsible and unscientific."

In the coming months, investigators will try to determine whether or not the Chinese government or individuals are behind the attack, and who it affects.  Even private citizens who never worked for the government may have had data compromised.

"The breach is an embarrassment for the U.S. government," DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson charged.

"It's vaunted computer-defense system for civilian agencies, dubbed Einstein, is supposed to detect unusual Internet traffic that would reveal hacking," he said. "This year alone it's costing taxpayers $375 million."

The United States is also concerned that the breach may be merely a prelude to bigger attacks. This week, President Barack Obama warned that hackers, both domestic and foreign, are "sending everything they've got" to try to breach U.S. government computers.

"We have to be as nimble, as aggressive, and as well-resourced as those trying to break into this system," he said.

This latest breach could connect spies to federal workers with national security access. With details from their personnel files, the potential for spies to craft phony messages and trick workers into revealing U.S. secrets is seemingly endless.