Nearly 2,000 passwords belonging to congressional staffers have been leaked to the dark web after official email addresses were used for dating sites and “adult websites,” an internet security company found.
The information of 3,191 staffers, including passwords, IP addresses and information from social media platforms, was found across the dark web by the internet security firm Proton, the Washington Times reported. A growing number of cybersecurity threats have been reported in light of the upcoming presidential election
“Many of these leaks likely occurred because staffers used their official email addresses to sign up for various services, including high-risk sites such as dating and adult websites, which were later compromised in data breaches,” Proton said in a statement, according to the Times. “This situation highlights a critical security lapse, where sensitive work-related emails became entangled with less secure, third-party platforms.”
Proton estimated nearly 1 in 5 congressional staffer’s information has been leaked online, according to the Times. The affected staffers have been alerted of the threat.
“The volume of exposed accounts among U.S. political staffers is alarming, and the potential consequences of compromised accounts could be severe,” Eamonn Maguire, head of account security for Proton, said in a statement to the Times. “Vigilance and strict security measures are essential to safeguard personal and national security.”
Cybersecurity threats have become increasingly pernicious in recent years, with a growing number of attacks involving potential election interference. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump recently claimed internal campaign communications had been hacked by “foreign sources hostile to the United States.”
Proton did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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