That could mean the money Congress poured into improved training and a more robust information security posture for staff is working. But the legislative branch is still playing catch up to get ahead of threats. McCaskill’s staff may have been better prepared than others on Capitol Hill. She has advocated improved information security fluency and, as the top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, she has pushed for a more robust information security workforce. The House mandated information security training for all employees in early 2015. All staffers who have a House network username and password must complete annual training.
In the Senate, there is no equivalent requirement. Sessions on awareness best practices are offered to member offices, committee staff and staffers working in state offices. Sergeant-at-Arms Michael Stenger said in May the SAA had hosted 52 cyberawareness seminars since the start of 2017.
Lawmakers boosted funding for Senate Sergeant-at-Arms efforts in fiscal 2018 to bolster Senate networks and protect users by $12.5 million and added $4 million for Senators’ office accounts focused on office and staff-level measures.
Full Article: The McCaskill Hack May Have Been Averted, But Cybersecurity Gaps Remain on Capitol Hill.