A hacker known as Guccifer 2.0 has claimed responsibility for the hack and for uploading the information to the Internet.
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House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi told fellow Democrats to change their phone numbers and not let family members read their text messages after a cybersecurity breach led to the release of personal information of members of Congress and their staff. Hoyer was contacted by the press through the number listed on the Guccifer website and it was indeed his number.
“This is sensitive information and it could be used in a very detrimental way by a foreign government”, Hoyer said. She said she changed her phone number Saturday morning. “And when they do, I hope the Administration will disclose who is attempting to interfere with the American political process, and levy strong consequences against those responsible”.
Last month, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign along with other Democratic Party organisations was hacked as part of a larger cyber attack.
The name is a reference to a Romanian hacker who pleaded guilty to hacking several prominent politicians and figures, including former Presidents George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush, who went online by Guccifer, CNN reported citing the experts as saying.
Friday’s was the latest release of information from cyber-attacks – including those by groups with purported ties to Russian Federation – against Democratic organizations as the 2016 elections heat up.
The Russian government has dismissed the idea that it was involved in the hack of the DNC, and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, while not revealing the source of the documents, said there’s “no proof whatsoever” that Moscow was involved.
The House chief information security officer has been in touch with people whose email addresses were made public with guidance and the DCCC executive director has provided additional guidance, Pelosi said. Ramsay also suggested House Democrats change passwords to all of their email accounts and “strongly consider” changing their non-House email addresses, as well. Capitol Police and the House sergeant-at-arms are checking into finding out just how vulnerable this hack leaves them.
Rep. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M. was also holding a conference call with lawmakers on Saturday evening along with cybersecurity experts who have been investigating and responding to the breach.
“This is a sad course of events, not only for us, but more importantly for our country”, Pelosi wrote to her colleagues.
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Disclosures of email showing DNC staffers privately supporting Clinton during the presidential primary while publicly maintaining they were neutral in her race with Bernie Sanders led to the resignation of DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
