Image by Jesse Collins, from Wikimedia Commons
Personal Data Of Congressional Staffers Leaked On The Dark Web
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor
In a Rush? Here are the Quick Facts!
- Personal data of 3,191 congressional staffers leaked on the dark web.
- Leaks likely caused by staffers using official emails on risky sites such as dating and adult websites.
- Nearly 1 in 5 congressional staffers has exposed information online.
A study by the security firm Proton revealed on Tuesday that personal information for approximately 3,191 congressional staffers has been leaked on the dark web, as first reported by The Washington Times (TWT).
The leaked data includes passwords, IP addresses, and details from various social media platforms.
TWT reports that many of these leaks likely resulted from staffers using their official email addresses to register for various services, including high-risk sites such as dating and adult websites, which later suffered data breaches.
“This situation highlights a critical security lapse, where sensitive work-related emails became entangled with less secure, third-party platforms,” Proton said in a statement to TWT.
Proton, in collaboration with Constella Intelligence, discovered 1,848 passwords belonging to political staffers available on the dark web. Alarmingly, one staffer had 31 passwords exposed, as reported by TWT.
“The volume of exposed accounts among U.S. political staffers is alarming, and the potential consequences of compromised accounts could be severe,” noted Eamonn Maguire, head of account security at Proton noted, as reported by TWT.
Proton estimates that nearly 1 in 5 congressional staffers has their information visible online, with approximately 300 staffers exposed in over 10 separate leaks, notes TWT.
The firm has reached out to all affected individuals to alert them, clarifying that the exposed information is unrelated to its services, which include encrypted email accounts and password managers, said TWT.
In addition to this breach, a broader investigation by Proton and Constella published on Tuesday exposed over 4,000 political figures from the U.K., EU, U.S., and France. In May 2024, the initial search revealed that around 40% of official emails from British, EU, and French politicians had been compromised.
British MPs were the most exposed, with 68% of their email addresses found on the dark web, followed by 44% of EU MEPs and 18% of French deputies and senators. The investigation expanded in September 2024 to include U.S. political staffers, with 20% of them found to have leaked email addresses.
In total, 2,545 passwords were discovered in plain text across all researched regions, raising significant concerns about cybersecurity hygiene, particularly if the exposed passwords were reused for official accounts.
Proton states that this issue could result in severe consequences, given that many of these officials and staff hold senior positions with access to highly sensitive government data.
Compounding this event, a report published yesterday by ReliaQuest highlights that advanced persistent threat (APT) groups are likely to disrupt the upcoming U.S. elections through cyberattacks, including hack-and-leak operations.
ReliaQuest advises organizations to adopt a defense-in-depth strategy to mitigate these business-specific risks. This approach should include robust cybersecurity measures, continuous monitoring, and comprehensive employee training.
Photo by Reet Talreja on Unsplash
PlayStation Announces Upcoming Games During State of Play Event
- Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
- Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor
In a Rush? Here are the Quick Facts!
- Playstations revealed over 20 upcoming games during the live event on Tuesday
- Most games and updates will arrive within the next few days and weeks
- The anticipated game Ghost of Yōtei will be released in 2025
Sony launched the State of Play online event this Tuesday and revealed over 20 upcoming games and updates for PS5 and PS VR 2. Playstation shared a recap of the 30-minute live event, with names of the games and more updates announced on its official blog.
This new event arrives only a few days after Sony announced its new PlayStation 5 Pro for $699 available for pre-order this week. During the State of Play, Sony added more games for the new Pro console, revealed 3 new colors for PS5, and showed previews of the upcoming games. Developers and experts also shared details and information about what users can expect.
“Astro Bot will receive new speedrun levels and 10 new Special Bots to rescue from this Fall,” wrote the company, featuring the first video game update.
Playstation revealed that the highly anticipated game Ghost of Yōtei, a follow-up of the successful Ghost of Tsushima released in 2020, will be launched in 2025. More details of the latest Sucker Punch Productions game have been provided as well.
A remastered version of Horizon Zero Dawn will be available for PS5 and PC on October 31, with graphical improvements. On November 14, LEGO Horizon Adventures will be released with bonuses for those who preorder.
Alan Wake 2 now has a new expansion, the Lake House, and a new location shown in a new trailer. ArcheAge has a new addition, ArcheAge Chronicles that will be released next year on PS5.
During the event, EA also announced the new gameplay slice, Dragon Age: The Veilguard , available for PS5 on October 25.
Next January, players will get to try the new Dynasty Warriors: Origins , “Koei Tecmo’s latest hack-and-slash adventure.”
More updates on other video games like Hitman World of Assassination , Hell is Us , Fortnite, Fantasian Neo Dimension , and Fear the Spotlight can be revealed in Playstation’s publication .
