The Library of Congress was hacked earlier in 2024 by adversaries. The attack was targeted against the organization's email accounts.
Earlier this year, the Library of Congress suffered a cyberattack suspected to have been carried out by a “foreign adversary”. The breach, which occurred between January and September 2024, involved unauthorized access to email communications between Library staff and Congressional offices. The U.S. Capitol Police referred the matter to the FBI, and an investigation into the hack’s scope is ongoing.
Although it remains unclear whether the House and Senate systems were compromised, it is believed that the attack targeted the Library due to its relatively weaker security compared to other parts of Congress. The breach was discovered in the fall of 2024, and the Library has since mitigated the vulnerability, informing impacted congressional personnel.
NBC News reported on the matter obtaining the notification letter which stated, “An adversary accessed email communications between congressional offices and some Library staff, including the Congressional Research Service, compromising the information contained in those emails…The Library has mitigated the vulnerability that the adversary used to access the environment and has taken measures to prevent such incidents in the future.”
The attack is a risk to the confidentiality of government processes, giving foreign adversaries insight into the inner workings of US policymaking. If these communications are accessed, adversaries could leverage this information to influence public opinions and manipulate legislative outcomes. While the House and Senate systems were not directly compromised, the Library of Congress serves as a resource for Congress, and its vulnerability could indicate weakness in other government institutions.
Related: HIPAA Compliant Email: The Definitive Guide
They store a wide variety of data, including books, documents, manuscripts, maps, photographs, audio recordings, and digital resources.
They often lack advanced security measures like encryption, making them an easy target for hackers.
No, HIPAA compliant email platforms like Paubox are a resource that can be used by organizations in any sector.