How very, very interesting…
60 Congress members hacked, locked out of databases for weeks
At least 60 members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, have been unable to access their constituent data for weeks after they were targeted in a recent ransomware attack, reports first revealed Tuesday.
The ransomware attack targeted iConstituent, a tech vendor used by dozens of House offices that enables lawmakers to provide constituent outreach, the Daily Mail reported. The vendor’s website says it keeps a “database of over 200M constituents and mobile phones” and its Constituent Engagement Platform and “identify and segment groups of constituents based on their interests, engagements, or concerns.”
It’s the latest cyber attack after a series of hacks against the US executive branch and American companies have left many institutions feeling vulnerable and the Biden administration struggling to deal with the situation.
The Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, which handles IT security for the House of Representatives, said there was ‘no impact’ on overall House data and it was working with the company to resolve the situation.
‘At this time, the CAO is not aware of any impact to House data. The CAO is coordinating with the impacted offices supported by iConstituent and has taken measures to ensure that the attack does not affect the House network and offices’ data,’ the office said in a statement.
