US House Chief Administrative Officer Catherine Szpindor on Wednesday informed all 435 members of the chamber they and their staff’s personal information had been exposed by a breach of the DC Health Link insurance marketplace, though they weren’t sure if the House was specifically targeted.
“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. 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 PII 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. DC Health Link will also likely contact you. It is important to note that at this time, it does not appear that Members or the House of Representatives were the specific target of the attack,” Szpindor wrote in a memo.