We know that China and the U.S. have something of a frosty relationship, but this latest round of name-calling and accusations isn’t going to make it any easier to patch things up.

U.S. officials believe they have just fallen victim to the largest breach of the government’s computer network ever, estimating that four million former and current federal employees might have had personal information stolen by China. CNN reports:

U.S. investigators believe they can trace the breach to the Chinese government. Hackers working for the Chinese military are believed to be compiling a massive database of Americans…

A spokesman from the Chinese Embassy in Washington objected late Thursday to allegations that the Chinese government may be behind the massive hack.

“Cyberattacks conducted across countries are hard to track, and therefore the source of attacks is difficult to identify. Jumping to conclusions and making hypothetical accusation is not responsible and counterproductive,” said Zhu Haiquan.

It took authorities a full month to cotton on to the breach and the FBI have now become involved, investigating exactly what led to the breach and who is responsible.

News stories such as these will always create some fear in the minds of those of us who spend a great deal of time online. There are ways to alleviate much of that stress, and we should all try and wisen up with regards online security so we can see the red flags before it is too late.

Don’t let us stop you FBI, just remember not to spread yourselves too thin – we still want a few crosshairs placed squarely on Sepp Blatter and his greed-ridden organisation.

[source:cnn]