The personal information of 3,191 congressional staffers leaked across the dark web, internet security firm Proton said Tuesday.
Passwords, IP addresses, and information from social media platforms were part of the data leak, Proton said.
“Many of these leaks likely occurred because staffers used their official email addresses to sign up for various services, including high-risk sites such as dating and adult websites, which were later compromised in data breaches,” Proton said in a statement. “This situation highlights a critical security lapse, where sensitive work-related emails became entangled with less secure, third-party platforms.”
Working with the firm Constella Intelligence, Proton said it found 1,848 passwords belonging to political staffers, with one staffer having 31 passwords exposed online, the Washington Times reported.
“The volume of exposed accounts among U.S. political staffers is alarming, and the potential consequences of compromised accounts could be severe,” Eamonn Maguire, Proton head of account security, said in a statement. “Vigilance and strict security measures are essential to safeguard personal and national security.”
Proton estimated that the information on nearly one in five congressional staffers is visible online and nearly 300 staffers had their data exposed in more than 10 separate leaks, the Times reported.