Statement of the Chair and Ranking Republican Member of the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct Regarding Cybersecurity Issue

Statement

The Committee on Standards of Official Conduct (Standards Committee) has learned that certain electronic files of the Committee may have been exposed to unauthorized and inappropriate access by persons outside the Committee. Neither the Standards Committee’s nor the House’s information systems have been breached in any way. Our initial review suggests that this unlawful access to confidential information involved the use of peer-to-peer file sharing software on the personal computer of a junior staffer, who is no longer employed by the Committee, while working from home. The potential exposure is limited to several specific documents. The Standards Committee is taking all appropriate steps to deal with this issue and is working with House Information Security to ensure that the Standards Committee’s information systems remain secure. No matter how robust our cybersecurity systems are, they remain subject to individual error. House Members, Officers and employees are reminded to exercise caution when handling House documents. The Committee notes that the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has been investigating the privacy and security risks of peer-to-peer networks.

Documents

• Statement on ethics.house.gov
• Document 1 (PDF)

More

• All House ethics statements