The U.S. Office of Personnel Management has reopened the online system that new federal employees and contractors use to submit forms for background checks.
OPM had taken the e-QIP system offline on June 26 in the aftermath of two massive data breaches of agency computer networks that put the personal data of 22 million Americans at risk. While e-QIP itself wasn't hacked, OPM said an ongoing review of the agency's IT infrastructure identified a "vulnerability" in the system. That vulnerability has been fixed, OPM said.
Related: OPM Suspends Federal Background Check System in Wake of Hack
"Based on the security enhancements and the extensive testing that has been completed, OPM is re-enabling access to e-QIP with confidence in the security of the system," OPM said in a statement Thursday.
The hacks at OPM led to the resignation earlier this month of its top official, Katherine Archuleta. The Obama administration hasn’t said who was behind the cyberattacks, although Director of National Intelligence James Clapper has called China “the leading suspect.”