Phillip Swagel, the director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, told lawmakers at an oversight hearing Tuesday morning before the House Budget Committee that the “sophisticated cyberattack” against his agency two weeks ago has been contained and there is currently no “further evidence of unauthorized access to CBO email.”
It’s the first time he has spoken out publicly about the breach.
Swagel said the investigation is “extensive and ongoing” as the agency receives assistance from both federal security partners and private sector security specialists.
He stressed that as more information becomes available about the nature of the attack — including “the threat actor’s activities” and what can be done to strengthen CBO’s systems — he will provide lawmakers updates “in a closed-door setting.”
He warned that sharing some things during a public hearing “might hinder remediation or investigation” but insisted that CBO is now “operating as normal … without interruption.”
In advance of the hearing, House Budget Chair Jodey Arrington praised the CBO’s handling of the incident.
“They notified everybody, and all hands were on deck to address it, remediate it, and make sure that no further information was breached,” the Texas Republican said in an interview Monday night. “I thought they handled that responsibly and there was a great sense of urgency and concern, which is what I would expect.”
