Hacker posts on Web personal data about 193 U.S. Democratic politicians

A hacker has posted on his Web site personal information about 193 Democratic politicians, presumably stolen in a cyberattack against the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, local media reported Saturday.

The hacker, who calls himself “Guccifer 2.0” and claims to be a lone wolf, has revealed, among other data, the cellphone numbers and email addresses of Nancy Pelosi, leader of the Democratic minority in the House of Representatives, and of Maryland Democratic Congressman Steny Hoyer.

The list of those affected also includes numerous lawmakers who are members of the Intelligence, Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees. The stolen information could have implications for national security.

“This is sensitive information and it could be used in a very detrimental way by a foreign government,” Hoyer said.

Another Democrat affected, U.S. Representative Adam Schiff, said in a statement that he hoped that those responsible will be identified and that the White House will disclose “who is attempting to interfere with the American political process, and levy strong consequences against those responsible.”

The first news about the cyberattack on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee was made public at the end of July, when U.S. intelligence sources warned that hackers were conspiring with the Russian government.

Guccifer 2.0 posted a message Friday night on his Twitter account saying that he will share with WikiLeaks, the portal created by Julian Assange, all the information stolen in the attack and that he will not reveal his whereabouts “for the safety reasons.”

DCCC National Press Secretary Meredith Kelly said Saturday in a statement that the organization has been “the target of a cybersecurity incident” and is cooperating with federal authorities to investigate what happened.

Last June, cyberpirates, presumably linked to the Russian government, attacked the online network of the Democratic National Committee in a spy operation that accessed its information about the Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump.

Weeks later, the campaign of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton admitted that hackers had accessed her system, but said the Internet experts working for her found no proof that it had been compromised.

U.S. President Barack Obama has made cybersecurity one of his priorities, and in recent months legal cases have multiplied against cyberpirates based in countries like China, Russia and Iran.