by The speaker of the United States House of Representatives and its Democratic leader have sent a remarkable letter to a health insurance marketplace, informing them of a data breach and asking the organisation to investigate the extent of the hack.
The letter, dated 8 March, is co-signed by both Kevin McCarthy, the Republican speaker, and Hakeem Jeffries, his Democrat counterpart.
According to the letter, the United States Capitol Police informed Congress that the DC Health Benefit Exchange Authority had suffered a data breach and that the FBI confirmed the hack — by actually purchasing the data on the dark web.
DC Health Link has said it is aware of the attack and is in the process of notifying its customers, as well as providing protection against identity theft.
“At this moment, the cause, size and scope of the data breach affecting DC Health Link could not be determined by the FBI,” the letter read. “Thousands of House members and employees from across the United States have enrolled in health insurance through DC Health Link for themselves and their families since 2014.”