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Defense policy analysis, commentary and discussion.
The House is stepping up its cybersecurity as members prepare for the August recess.
Beginning Saturday, users will be locked out of computers on the House network after 20 minutes of inactivity and required to re-enter their passwords to regain access.
House Chief Administrative Officer Dan Strodel announced the changes on Tuesday in an email to members and staff. He noted that the screensaver lockout “will help prevent unauthorized access to your files and credentials.”
The chamber’s cybersecurity vulnerabilities were the subject of an anonymous July 8 memo to House security stakeholders.
Dan Weiser, the communications director for the CAO, said the changes were not a response to concerns noted in the unauthorized review.
Implementation of the lockout feature is part of “something that has been going on for quite a while,” Weiser said. He added that the changes were also announced in a July newsletter to staffers.
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