• About Us
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Send Us a Tip
Menu
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Send Us a Tip
CyberNews logo
Newsletter
  • Home
  • News
  • Editorial
  • Security
  • Privacy
  • Resources
Menu
  • Home
  • News
  • Editorial
  • Security
  • Privacy
  • Resources
CyberNews logo

Home » News » US Capitol riots: could Congress systems have been breached amid the chaos?

US Capitol riots: could Congress systems have been breached amid the chaos?

by Bernard Meyer
7 January 2021
in News
0
US Capitol riots could Congress systems have been breached amid the chaos

Photo by @ElijahSchaffer

0
SHARES

Apparent Trump supporters, who believe the US presidential elections to be fraudulent, stormed the US Capitol building on January 6 while Congress was in session, in what’s been called an “insurrection.” The building was occupied by the rioters for roughly five hours on Wednesday.

While the motives are still unclear, the cybersecurity community has been assessing the situation in order to understand the most likely scenario. In effect, the question is whether a cyberattacker could have gained valuable entry into Congress computers or servers in the midst of the chaos.

Mieke Eoyang, a former House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) staffer stated that the information contained in Congressional offices are “unclassified information.” “Classified information dealt with in designated Congressional SCIFs [Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility]. No indication those were breached,” she tweeted in response to questions of whether Congressional systems or physical files were compromised. 

Hi, former HPSCI staffer here.

Congressional offices deal in unclassified information. Most of the things they deal with are open source.

Classified information dealt with in designated Congressional SCIFs. No indication those were breached. https://t.co/Ciel6BW3oU

— Mieke "18 USC 2383" Eoyang (@MiekeEoyang) January 7, 2021

An SCIF is an enclosed area inside a building that is dedicated to processing classified information. 

Eoyang further indicated that there was no indication that any would-be cyberattackers “had access at the server or sysadmin level.” Eoyang later claimed to not be concerned about this incident from an infosec perspective, as there were many other things in Congress (such as the SolarWinds breach) that worried her: 

As someone who worked up there most of her career, and through many forced evacuations, I'm not worried about this incident from an infosec perspective.

There are many *other* things I worry about from an infosec perspective for Congress.

— Mieke "18 USC 2383" Eoyang (@MiekeEoyang) January 7, 2021

However, while the unclassified information is one worry, other concerns are being raised about Congressional computer systems being breached and having traffic captured and intercepted. Some shared photos of computer cables running through the building:

pic.twitter.com/Cp5d7SJJsh

— Dug Song (@dugsong) January 7, 2021

Vinny Troia, a former longtime Defense Department cybersecurity contractor, stated that “You’d need a CAC [Common Access Card] …to install anything on a government network. It’s an actual physical ID card you have to put into the computer.” Troia also mentioned that the USB ports of all government computers should be disabled by default, a measure in response to Snowden’s famous exfiltration.

However, photos of the incident show that a computer apparently belonging to a staffer for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was unlocked.

Photo by @ElijahSchaffer whose tweet has since been deleted

Ian Campbell, who claims to be a former System Administrator in Congress, stated that he would not be able to sleep well “until the networks were rebuilt from scratch and every computer wiped and the internals visually inspected before being put back in service. Every printer, every copier. Every nook and cranny.”

Knowing House IT stuff, I don't think I'd sleep well until the networks were rebuilt from scratch and every computer wiped and the internals visually inspected before being put back in service.

Every printer, every copier. Every nook and cranny.

— Ian (@neurovagrant) January 6, 2021

The story is still developing and we will update as more facts come to light.

ShareTweetShareShare

Related Posts

Italy consumer association sues Apple for planned iPhone obsolescence

Italy consumer association sues Apple for planned iPhone obsolescence

25 January 2021
Makers of Sophia the robot plan mass rollout amid pandemic

Makers of Sophia the robot plan mass rollout amid pandemic

25 January 2021
Elon Musk

Elon Musk to offer $100 million prize for ‘best’ carbon capture tech

22 January 2021
Alphabet shutting Loon, which used balloon alternative to cell towers

Alphabet shutting Loon, which used balloon alternative to cell towers

22 January 2021
Next Post
Outgoing FCC chairman hopes US remains ‘bullish’ on space innovation, 5G

Outgoing FCC chairman hopes US remains ‘bullish’ on space innovation, 5G

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Popular News

  • 70TB of Parler users’ messages, videos, and posts leaked by security researchers

    70TB of Parler users’ messages, videos, and posts leaked by security researchers

    83034 shares
    Share 83024 Tweet 0
  • The ultimate guide to safe and anonymous online payment methods in 2021

    13 shares
    Share 13 Tweet 0
  • Facebook is tracking you: learn how to delete all Facebook data

    57 shares
    Share 57 Tweet 0
  • ProtonMail review: have we found the most secure email provider in 2021?

    69 shares
    Share 69 Tweet 0
  • Custom mechanical keyboards – 17 coolest ones we’ve ever seen

    442 shares
    Share 441 Tweet 0
Teespring data leaked on hacker forum

8+ million Teespring user records leaked on hacker forum

25 January 2021
Italy consumer association sues Apple for planned iPhone obsolescence

Italy consumer association sues Apple for planned iPhone obsolescence

25 January 2021
Google on laptop and mobile

Google vs Australia: The Battle of the Precedents

25 January 2021
Makers of Sophia the robot plan mass rollout amid pandemic

Makers of Sophia the robot plan mass rollout amid pandemic

25 January 2021
Elon Musk

Elon Musk to offer $100 million prize for ‘best’ carbon capture tech

22 January 2021
Is there life on Mars?

Is there life on Mars?

22 January 2021
Newsletter

Subscribe for security tips and CyberNews updates.

Email address is required. Provided email address is not valid. You have been successfully subscribed to our newsletter!
Categories
  • News
  • Editorial
  • Security
  • Privacy
  • Resources
  • VPNs
  • Password Managers
  • Secure Email Providers
  • Antivirus Software Reviews
Tools
  • Personal data leak checker
  • Strong password generator
About Us

We aim to provide you with the latest tech news, product reviews, and analysis that should guide you through the ever-expanding land of technology.

Careers

We are hiring.

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Send Us a Tip
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Vulnerability Disclosure

© 2021 CyberNews

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy Policy.

Home

News

Editorial

Security

Privacy

Resources

  • In the News
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Send Us a Tip

© 2020 CyberNews – Latest tech news, product reviews, and analyses.

Subscribe for Security Tips and CyberNews Updates
Email address is required. Provided email address is not valid. You have been successfully subscribed to our newsletter!