Vendor for House offices hit with ransomware attack

Washington — A private company that provides constituent services to congressional and state government offices was the victim of a ransomware attack, becoming the latest entity targeted by cybercriminals amid growing calls for the U.S. companies to bolster their cyber defenses.

The Office of the Chief Administrative Officer of the U.S. House, which provides support services to congressional offices, confirmed in a statement to CBS News it was notified by the company iConstituent that its e-newsletter system was hit with the ransomware attack. Punchbowl News first reported the incident. "iConstituent's e-newsletter system is an external service available for House offices to purchase. At this time, the CAO is not aware of any impact to House data," the office  said. "The CAO is coordinating with the impacted offices supported by iConstituent and has taken measures to ensure that the attack does not affect the House network and offices' data."