Congressional offices will be forced to end their contracts with a tech vendor that provides constituent communication services due to multiple cybersecurity incidents over the past few years.
The chief administrative officer of the House of Representatives said in a recent email to the dozens of House Congressional offices that use the iConstituent vendor they would no longer be authorized to use the company’s services after Dec. 31 of this year, according to CNN.
The CAO said it was taking such drastic action because iConstituent has had multiple hacks on its systems in the past several years, and “the vendor still does not appear to have meaningfully improved their security practices,” the email noted.
iConstituent’s problematic and delayed response to previous cyberattacks also “raise irreparable doubts about their ability to securely deliver technology services to the House,” the email added.
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In June, the tech vendor had been the target of its latest ransomware attack, slowing down important casework for Congressional offices trying to communicate with and help constituents.
In April and May, almost 60 House offices were cut off from communication with constituents because of a cyberattack on iConstituent.
Based on Capitol Hill, iConstituent offers a “constituent engagement platform” that allows congressional offices to connect with constituents online and over the phone, hold digital town halls, collaborate on casework, and manage internal and external communications.
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Casework is a particularly important part of every congressional office, as they attempt to help their constituents resolve difficulties with federal government bureaucracy, such as immigration, healthcare, and education.
