In the aftermath of destructive riots that trashed the United States Capitol on Wednesday, the nation is grappling with questions about the stability and trajectory of US democracy. But inside the Capitol building itself, the congressional support staff is dealing with more immediate logistics, like cleanup and repairs. A crucial part of that: the process of securing the offices and digital systems after hundreds of people had unprecedented access to them.
Allowing physical access to a location can have serious cybersecurity ramifications. Rioters could have bugged congressional offices, exfiltrated data from unlocked computers, or installed malware on exposed devices. In the rush to evacuate the Capitol, some computers were left unlocked and remained accessible by the time rioters arrived. And at least some equipment was stolen; Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon said in a video late Wednesday that intruders took one of his office's laptops off a conference table.
The House of Representatives and Senate each have a Sergeant-at-Arms office that oversees security. On the Senate side this body also supervises cybersecurity, whereas in the House that responsibility lies with the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer. On Thursday, speaker of the house Nancy Pelosi said that sergeant at arms Paul Irving would resign over Wednesday's breach of the Capitol. Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said he would remove that chamber's sergeant at arms, Mike Stenger, if he does not resign.
“It’s a very, very difficult situation,” former Senate sergeant at arms Frank Larkin told WIRED on Thursday. “The place has been rattled a number of times where they’ve had to do instantaneous evacuations or shelter in place, but a scenario like this was not something that was h ..
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