The Congressional Budget Office, the nonpartisan agency responsible for providing Congress with crucial economic analyses, has reportedly been breached by a suspected foreign hacker. The recently discovered intrusion may have exposed sensitive communications between congressional offices and CBO researchers, as well as internal emails and chat logs, four individuals familiar with the situation tell the Washington Post.
A source tells the Post that some congressional offices have already reduced email contact with the CBO due to ongoing cybersecurity concerns. The CBO, which the AP notes is a small office with about 275 staffers, plays a central role in shaping legislation by offering independent financial projections and cost estimates for every bill considered in Congress. Its work serves as a critical check on the executive branch's economic assessments, giving lawmakers data to inform policy decisions.
In a statement, CBO spokeswoman Caitlin Emma confirms that the agency had identified the security breach, taken immediate steps to contain it, and put in additional safeguards to protect its systems. She emphasized the incident is under investigation and that the agency's work for Congress is continuing uninterrupted. She adds that the agency routinely faces digital threats and maintains ongoing monitoring to address them.
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The Hill notes that this breach follows an emergency directive in September from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which warned that at least one government agency had been hacked. It also noted the "alarming ease with which a threat actor can exploit" software vulnerabilities.
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