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Can you say the same thing about the people they researched to validate your information?

> If it really was the Chinese behind it, then the data likely won't ever end up dumped on pastebin

What if the calculation of both maximum effect and maximum deniability is exactly that: Create a shadowy, possibly composite hacker persona (a "Satoshi Nakamoto"), release a bunch of signatures and generate publicity, and then roll out the database, verifiable by the previously released signatures.

Is it the entire SF-86 database, including contractors? Or just government employees?

OP here.

Everybody

The first sentence of the article I linked to: "The Chinese breach of the Office of Personnel Management network was wider than first acknowledged, and officials said Friday that a database holding sensitive security clearance information on millions of federal employees and contractors also was compromised."