Encryption “would not have helped” at OPM, says DHS official | Ars Technica

Final paragraph from a stark security reality check; p.s. don't assume the U.S. government is the only organization running systems "... over 20 years old and written in COBOL"

"Given the scope and duration of the data breaches, it may be impossible for the US government to get a handle on the exact extent of the damage done just by the latest attack on OPM's systems. If anything is clear, it is that the aging infrastructure of many civilian agencies in Washington magnify the problems the government faces in securing its networks, and OPM's data breach may just be the biggest one that the government knows about to date."

Encryption “would not have helped” at OPM, says DHS official | Ars Technica