The Library of Congress said hackers broke into its communications systems and were able to read its email correspondence with congressional offices for most of this year.
In a private notification sent Friday to some congressional offices, obtained by NBC News, the Library of Congress said that hackers “accessed email communications between congressional offices and some Library staff, including the Congressional Research Service.” The hackers had access from January until September, the notification said.
The Library of Congress, the world’s largest library, offers a dedicated research staff for Congress.
Last year, it gave congressional staffers more than 76,000 custom responses to inquiries, according to its most recent annual report.
Bill Ryan, director of communications at the Library of Congress, told NBC News in an email that the software vulnerability the hackers used to gain access has been “mitigated.”“The Library has referred the matter to law enforcement and is also conducting its own analysis of the breach,” Ryan said.
Persons:
Bill Ryan, ” Ryan, ”, Chuck Schumer
Organizations:
Congress, NBC News, of Congress, Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress, ., Russian Embassy, Washington , D.C, Embassy
Locations:
United States, China, Russia, U.S, Russian, Washington ,