Health data breach hitting US Congress ‘could be extraordinary’

People walk outside the US Capitol building in Washington. Members of the House and Senate were informed on March 8, 2023, that hackers may have gained access to their sensitive personal data in a breach of a Washington, D.C., health insurance marketplace. — AP

WASHINGTON: House leaders say the impact of a hack of a health insurance marketplace used by members of Congress “could be extraordinary”, exposing sensitive personal data of lawmakers, their employees and families. In all, thousands of people could be affected.

DC Health Link, which runs the exchange, said an unspecified number of customers were impacted and it was notifying them and working with law enforcement to quantify the damage. It said it was offering identity theft service to those affected and extending credit monitoring to all customers.