Just days after the Congressional Budget Office confirmed it was hacked and said it took steps to contain the breach, officials are warning that the cybersecurity incident could affect email traffic to and from the agency.
The CBO announced Thursday it was hacked. A spokeswoman reportedly said the agency "identified the security incident, has taken immediate action to contain it, and has implemented additional monitoring and new security controls to further protect the agency's systems going forward."
Employees at the Library of Congress were warned Monday in an email that the incident is "affecting its email communications" and that library staff should take a range of measures to protect themselves, Politico reported.
Workers also were told to restrict their communications with the agency, which provides budget and economic information to lawmakers.
"Do NOT click on any links in emails from CBO. Do NOT share sensitive information with CBO colleagues over email, Microsoft Teams, or Zoom at this time," the email stated, according to Politico. "Maintain a high level of vigilance and verify the legitimacy of CBO communications by confirming with the sender via telephone that they sent the message."
Congressional staff members are in regular contact with the CBO, which was created by Congress in 1974 as a nonpartisan research office. It is designed to provide objective budget and economic analysis to support the congressional budget process.
The office offers an alternative to information from the Office of Management and Budget and other executive branch agencies.
The broader implications of a legislative branch office continuing to grapple with cybersecurity vulnerabilities remain unknown, but officials warn that emails and other communications could be used to craft convincing phishing lures that mimic legitimate CBO messages.
Newsmax reached out to the CBO and Library of Congress for comment.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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