The chairman of the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee sent a letter to President Barack Obama this past Thursday requesting further information on the cyber attack on the White House's computer network.
Committee Chairman John Thune specifically asked Obama to address whether any Americans' personal information was compromised in the attack that gave attackers access to the White House's unclassified computer system in October of this past year.
“Recent reports indicate that a malicious cyber intrusion on the unclassified computer system of the White House, attributed to Russian hackers, is more extensive than previously known,” Thune wrote. “Though the hackers do not appear to have accessed any classified information, the unclassified computer system reportedly contains a great deal of sensitive information, such as schedules, policy discussions, and emails you sent and received, including exchanges with ambassadors.”
Thune also noted that whenever visitors want to enter the White House complex, they must submit their date of birth, Social Security number, gender, country of birth, citizenship and place of residence. All this information is typically sent through email and could have been exposed in the breach, Thune said.
If a data breach did occur, Thune went on to ask whether victims have been notified. He also asked Obama to clarify the White House's policies in the event of a data breach to ensure individuals are told their personal information was compromised.
Russian hackers were cited in April as the culprits behind the White House attack, as well as an attack on the State Department. Kaspersky Lab then released further findings in late April indicating that the CozyDuke APT group was behind the attack.
