The Congressional Budget Office is investigating a recent apparent cyberattack on its networks, a spokesperson confirmed Thursday.
Why it matters: CBO is responsible for studying the financial impact of each bill that's introduced in both the Senate and House of Representatives.
Threat level: Because of its work, hackers could have gained access to internal discussions between lawmakers and researchers about pending legislation.
Driving the news: The Washington Post first reported that the system had been breached and that a suspected foreign actor is behind the intrusions that were discovered in recent days.
What they're saying: "The Congressional Budget Office has 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," said Caitlin Emma, a CBO spokesperson, in a statement.
- "The incident is being investigated and work for the Congress continues. Like other government agencies and private sector entities, CBO occasionally faces threats to its network and continually monitors to address those threats."
- Representatives for the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The big picture: CBO is the latest in a string of federal agencies that nation-state hackers have targeted this year — following similar intrusions at the National Nuclear Security Administration and the National Institutes of Health.
Between the lines: The hack has occurred as the U.S. government endures its longest shutdown in history, leaving the cybersecurity agencies that would investigate the incident with limited staff.
📲 Have a tip on the extent of the CBO hack or on other potential breaches across the U.S. government? Reach out confidentially on Signal at @SamSabin.01.
