[ISN] Leak risks on the Hill: BlackBerrys

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0708/11646.html

By PATRICK O'CONNOR 
Politico.com
7/9/08

In the wake of revelations that Chinese hackers infiltrated 
congressional computers, lawmakers say they fear more breaches of 
laptops, BlackBerrys and other personal electronic devices.

But the culprit isn.t a foreign government so much as members and 
staffers still in the dark about the dangers that lurk in cyberspace.

"We need to get their attention first," said Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a 
California Democrat who represents Silicon Valley and has been tapped to 
organize a refresher course for members about the ways hackers can 
infiltrate congressional computers.

Lofgren and Michigan Rep. Vernon J. Ehlers, the top Republican on the 
Committee on House Administration, are trying to organize a bipartisan 
member briefing with congressional support staff to review the protocols 
for protecting sensitive information stored on congressional computers.

If that briefing falls through, Lofgren has also been asked to brief a 
Democratic Caucus meeting to make sure her colleagues know how to avoid 
obvious pitfalls.

In addition, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is changing the 
congressional travel policy to ensure that members taking trips abroad 
are told how to avoid breaches of their laptops and BlackBerrys. The 
speaker and Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) have also directed 
their top technology staffers to tighten the House computer system to 
ensure its security, aides confirmed.

On the Republican side of the aisle, Ehlers distributed an eight-point 
bulletin last month about protecting sensitive data.

[...]


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