Library of Congress hacked by 'foreign adversary' earlier this year, officials say
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WASHINGTON - The Library of Congress email systems were hacked earlier this year by a "foreign adversary," officials confirmed Sunday.
The "substantial" hack was described as "classic, sophisticated foreign adversary espionage," FOX News’ Chad Pergram reports.
Officials say at this time, it’s unclear if the hack compromised accounts of those who work directly for the House and Senate but U.S. Capitol Police referred the matter to the FBI and they are investigating the scope of the hack. At this time, it's not believed to have spread to other congressional systems.
"The Library of Congress recently discovered a cyber breach of the Library's information technology environment whereby an adversary accessed email communications during the timeframe of January to September 2024 between Library staff and congressional offices. The Library has mitigated the vulnerability that the adversary used to access these emails and has taken measures to prevent such incidents in the future. The Library has referred the matter to law enforcement and is also conducting its own analysis of the breach," Library of Congress spokesman Bill Ryan said.
It is believed that the hackers went after the Library of Congress because it is a "softer" target compared to the rest of Congress and lacks the more sophisticated systems which the rest of Congress uses to guard against cyber spying.
FOX News was told the Library of Congress notified impacted congressional personnel in the House and Senate, which included both Republican and Democratic offices.