Hacker release personal data of 200 Democratic leaders

A hacker believed to be linked to Russia has posted cellphone numbers and other personal information of nearly 200 current and former congressional Democrats, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, in the latest public disclosure of sensitive records.

The documents obtained from the cyberattack on Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee was released by a hacker known as Guccifer 2.0.

Researchers believe Guccifer 2.0 is a front for a prominent hacking group with ties to the Russian military intelligence agency, dubbed 'Fancy Bear'.

The Hill said the hacking is widely believed to be the work of Russian hackers.

"Word began to spread Friday evening among Democrats whose personal information was posted, and several became furious, a congressional staffer said. Not all the information appeared to be correct, as at least one email address listed on the spreadsheet was no longer current," The Wall Street Journal said.
 

In its tweet, Guccifer 2.0 said that it would provide "the major trove" of stolen information from the DCCC, including emails, to WikiLeaks, the daily said.

"The same Twitter account sent a message to The Wall Street Journal on Friday evening that said the hacker had acted alone, not as part of a team," the daily said.

The cellphone numbers of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California and Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland were among the information posted.

The posting of the cellphone numbers and personal email addresses of members of Congress has national security implications. Included in the spreadsheet were the personal information of members of the House Intelligence, Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees. Foreign spies could use that information to try to intercept sensitive communications, the Journal said.

The DCCC breach was reported late last month. In June, Guccifer claimed responsibility for hacking the Democratic National Committee and posting an opposition research document of Donald Trump online.

A number of US intelligence officials believe the most likely culprit for stealing the DCCC data, as well as a large batch of records from the Democratic National Committee, are hackers backed by the Russian government.