Wednesday, Catherine L. Szpindor, the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives, informed legislators that their personal information was compromised in a “serious data breach” at a health insurance marketplace.
The data leak affected more than just politicians.
“A serious breach at a healthcare administrator serving the U.S. House of Representatives has potentially exposed the personal data of hundreds of lawmakers and their staff, top representatives and a senior Congressional official said in letters circulated on Wednesday,” Reuters reported about the situation.
Szpindor stated that it did not appear that MPs were the specific aim of the intrusion.
“I have been informed by the United States Capitol Police and DC Health Link of a data breach impacting Members and staff. DC Health Link suffered a significant data breach yesterday, potentially exposing the Personal Identifiable Information (PII) of thousands of enrollees. As a Member or employee eligible for health insurance through the DC Health Link, your data may have been comprised,” Szpindor wrote in a letter to colleagues on Capitol Hill on Wednesday
The letter continued:
“Currently, I do not know the size and scope of the breach, but have been informed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that account information and [personally identifiable information] of hundreds of Member and House staff were stolen. I expect to have access to the list of impacted enrollees later today and will notify you directly if your information was compromised.”
Zerohedge reported on the story adding:
Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) were told by the FBI that cyber security agents found personal information from DC Health Link on the dark web, according to The Washington Post, citing a letter sent by House leadership to the health insurance marketplace. Agents found the names of spouses, dependent children, their social security numbers, and home addresses.
According to their website, DC Health Link describes itself as:
DC Health Link is governed by the DC Health Benefit Exchange Executive Board appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the District of Columbia Council. The professional staff is led by Executive Director Mila Kofman, J.D.
DC Health Link was created and is governed by the DC Health Benefit Exchange Authority (HBX). The HBX was established as a requirement of Section 3 of the Health Benefit Exchange Authority Establishment Act of 2011, effective March 3, 2012 (D.C. Law 19-0094). The mission of the DC Health Benefit Exchange Authority is to implement a health care exchange program in the District of Columbia in accordance with the Affordable Care Act (ACA), thereby ensuring access to quality and affordable health care to all DC residents. DC Health Link is the name of the DC Health Benefit Exchange program.
The HBX has an 11-member Executive Board that includes seven voting members from the general public and four non-voting members representing important public agencies of the District of Columbia government.
The HBX works closely with DC Department of Health Care Finance, Department of Human Services and Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB) to coordinate benefits and create a “no-wrong-door” environment for District residents seeking help with insurance coverage and costs.
More on this story via The Republic Brief:
DC Health Link confirmed the breach and stated, “data for some DC Health Link customers have been exposed on a public forum.” CONTINUE READING…