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A suspected foreign actor hacked the Congressional Budget Office, the vital legislative office that scores proposed bills for their impact on national finances. “The Congressional Budget Office has identified the security incident, has taken immediate action to contain it, and has implemented additional monitoring and new security controls to further protect the agency’s systems going forward,” CBO spokeswoman Caitlin Emma told The Washington Post. “The incident is being investigated and work for the Congress continues. Like other government agencies and private sector entities, CBO occasionally faces threats to its network and continually monitors to address those threats.” The breach could expose sensitive government data and communications with House and Senate offices, and security concerns have stopped some legislators’ offices from continuing to communicate with the CBO, the Post reports. In July, Chinese hackers gained access to a U.S. government agency that oversees nuclear weapons as part of a vulnerability in the Microsoft SharePoint software. The vulnerability is also blamed for security risks at the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services. Earlier this year, hackers compromised the website for the Trump administration’s DOGE cost-cutting program. Federal officials are reportedly mulling a ban on a top-selling home router over China-related national security concerns. The Commerce Department has reportedly proposed banning sales of devices from California-based TP-Link Systems, a company whose products make up over a third of the home router market, according to The Washington Post. Officials are concerned that the company, which was recently spun off from the Chinese firm TP-Link Technologies, remains subject to influence from Beijing, putting the data of Americans at risk. It continues to own some of its former parent company’s assets in China, per the paper. TP-Link Systems insists it is a U.S.-based company that does not pose a threat to consumers. “No official action or confirmation has been made by any agency or the White House regarding these allegations,” a TP-Link Systems spokesperson told The Independent. Private companies have also suffered major hacks in recent months. Last month, hackers obtained information about scores of users on the popular messaging app Discord, putting sensitive data for tens of thousands of people at risk, including images, government IDs, names and contact details.
