A computer hacker broke into 49 House Web sites overnight Wednesday to post a crude attack on President Barack Obama. Among the sites hacked was the home page of Rep. Brian Baird, D-Vancouver.
Congressional spokesman Jeff Ventura in the chief administrative office said the sites that were hit were managed by a third-party vendor. In contrast, most lawmakers’ Web sites are managed by House technicians. The sites of both Democrats and Republicans were hit.
Ventura says the vendor was performing an update and for a brief moment let its guard down. That was long enough to allow the hacker to penetrate the sites.
The attacker used an obscenity in referring to the president, who gave his State of the Union address from the House chamber Wednesday night.
Thursday, Baird’s site, http://www.baird.house.gov, said that it was “unavailable.”
“We found out early this morning that our Web site had been hacked,” said Kelly Love, Baird’s district manager in Vancouver. “We’ve been told it’s a security breach that’s the fault of an outside vendor.” Baird’s office uses the private vendor because it offers more updated features and functions than the government vendor, she said.
Baird’s office is working with House Information Security to restore its Web site, Love said. “We are trying to get it back up as soon as possible. In the best of all possible worlds we would have it up by late Friday.”
In the meantime, she said, constituents who want to reach the congressman can do so via a computer search for his official Web site, which will provide phone and fax numbers. His Washington office phone number is 202-225-3536, and the fax number is 202-225-3478. His local office can be reached at 360-695-6292; fax 360-695-6197.
Love said Baird’s offices had not noticed an increase in the volume of phone calls Thursday.
