Second hack of federal records hit intelligence and military personnel

• OPM hackers linked to China accessed sensitive background information
• News follows revelation records of 14 million federal employees compromised

As many as 14 million current and former civilian US government employees had their personal information exposed to hackers, according to two people who were briefed on the investigation, representing a far higher figure than the 4 million the Obama administration initially disclosed - and coming amid an apparent second cyber breach that officials said was linked to China.

The newer estimates put the number of compromised records at between 9 million and 14 million going back to the 1980s, said one congressional official and one former US official, who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because information disclosed in the confidential briefings includes classified details of the investigation.