The Office of Personnel Management has shut down its web portal for background investigations of federal employees and contractors after the agency found a system vulnerability, the Washington Post reported Friday.
Lisa Rein writes OPM and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence collaborated to develop interim guidance for government agencies to vet security clearance applicants while the e-QIP website is offline.
People who seek to apply for national security positions will have to complete a Standard Form 86 questionnaire and submit the hard copy to agency personnel, according to the newspaper.
The temporary application process does not cover Top Secret and Top Secret Sensitive Compartmented Information levels, the report said.
Rein reports OPM discovered the security flaw in the wake of a breach on federal employee records.
