About 2,000 passwords belonging to parliamentary staff were leaked onto the dark web after their official email addresses were used for dating and “adult” sites. The internet security company discovered
The information of 3,191 staff members, including passwords, IP addresses and social media platform information, was found on the dark web by internet security firm Proton, The Washington Times reported. ReportedWith the presidential election approaching, cybersecurity threats are reportedly on the rise.
“Many of these leaks likely occurred because staff used official email addresses to sign up for a variety of services, including high-risk sites such as dating and adult sites. These services were later compromised in the data breach,” Proton said in a statement, according to The New York Times. “This situation highlights a significant security flaw where sensitive work-related emails became entangled on insecure third-party platforms.”
A Computer Hacker's Perspective, Seattle, Washington (Getty Images)
According to The New York Times, Proton estimates that about one in five congressional staffers' information has been exposed online, and affected staffers have been warned about the threat.
“The number of accounts belonging to U.S. political staff that have been exposed is alarming, and the impact of any accounts being compromised could be severe,” Eamonn Maguire, head of account security at Proton, said in a statement to The New York Times. “Vigilance and rigorous security measures are essential to protect personal and national security.”
Cybersecurity threats have become increasingly nefarious in recent years, including an increase in attacks aimed at interfering with elections. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump recently claimed that his campaign's internal communications were hacked by “foreign sources hostile to the United States.” (Related article: US intelligence agencies conclude that Iran was behind the hacking of the Trump campaign)
Proton did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation's request for comment.
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