Cyber criminals have attacked a web tool that members of the House of Representatives use to communicate with voters.
iConstituent was hit with ransomware, which holds data and systems hostage until victims provide payment to their cyberattackers. Nearly 60 lawmakers’ offices were affected, said Sen. Rob Portman, Ohio Republican.
The House’s chief administrative officer said it is unaware that the cyberattack affected the House’s data.
“The Office of the Chief Administrative Officer was notified by iConstituent that their e-newsletter system was hit with a ransomware attack. iConstituent’s e-newsletter system is an external service available for House offices to purchase,” the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer said in a statement. “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.”
A flood of ransomware attacks against U.S. entities in recent weeks has disrupted everything from food production to fuel supply. At a Senate hearing about ransomware on Tuesday, Mr. Portman said the latest attack on the House members’ constituent services’ tool showed how no one is safe from the rising tide of ransomware attacks.
“Just this morning news broke that a constituent outreach services platform that nearly 60 offices in the United States Congress, the House of Representatives, uses was hit with a ransomware attack,” Mr. Portman said at the hearing. “As I’ve said before no one is safe from these attacks — including us.”
House members have been unable to access constituent information for weeks, according to Punchbowl News, which first reported the cyberattack on Tuesday.
iConstituent did not immediately provide comment on the cyberattack and what was affected.
