House members to be briefed after data breach exposes health insurance information

House members are set to be briefed on a major data breach that resulted in the leak of thousands of lawmakers’ and Capitol Hill staffers’ health insurance information last week.

Lawmakers will meet with the House Administration Committee on Tuesday for an update by the chief administrative officer, Capitol Police, and the House sergeant-at-arms. The bipartisan briefing is the first to discuss the breach of DC Health Link, an insurance marketplace in Washington that is used by thousands of Hill staffers for healthcare coverage.

MAJOR DATA BREACH EXPOSES PERSONAL INFORMATION OF ‘HUNDREDS’ OF LAWMAKERS AND STAFF

Congress was notified on Wednesday that the company had been compromised, putting thousands of customers at risk. Personal data that were released included names, email addresses, birth dates, Social Security numbers, and insurance policy information.

Lawmakers and staffers were later informed that family members who are included on their insurance plans were also compromised by the leak, with some data being found for sale online.

It’s not clear the motive behind the breach, but House Chief Administrative Officer Catherine Szpindor told staffers last week that it did not appear to be a targeted attack against lawmakers. However, the user who leaked the information suggested there are more data still waiting to be released.

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“More data exists, but will not be leaked for the time being,” the user, named Denfur, posted, according to CyberScoop. “The use of it is something important. More than one database were exposed.”

More than 56,400 customers had their data stolen as part of the breach, according to the D.C. Health Benefit Exchange. Officials with DC Health Link said they are working with law enforcement and forensic investigators to conduct an investigation into the matter.