Breach, Data Security

House committee asks for details on State Dept breach

A House oversight committee has asked Secretary of State John Kerry to provide details about a data breach at the State Department.

In a letter to Kerry, penned by Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., Democrats on the House Government Oversight Committee asked when the breach was first discovered and what steps the department has taken since the breach to safeguard its systems, according to a report in The Hill.

The State Department took its email system down, for what it initially said was regularly scheduled patching, but the system was still down on Monday after the agency said it had to make more significant updates in the wake of the attack.

“The State Department's knowledge, information, and experience in combating data breaches will be helpful as Congress examines federal cybersecurity laws and any necessary improvements to protect sensitive consumer and government financial information,” Cummings wrote in the letter to Kerry.

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