House investigates website hackings

The House of Representatives is investigating the hacking of as many as 49 websites of Republican and Democratic lawmakers.

The Office of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) — the House's technological maintainer and adviser — informed affected members that the Information Systems Security Office is looking into the matter and they should have temporary websites up shortly. House officials are expected to hold a meeting late Thursday afternoon to look at what course of action the House should take toward the hackings. The sites were hacked Wednesday night after President Barack Obama's State of the Union address.

Update: House leaders called for additional steps to safeguard the lawmakers' websites from cyber attacks, like the ones that that struck nearly 50 members' sites on Thursday. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), in a letter sent to Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Dan Beard, made the calls for heightened cyber security in the face of recent actions taken by Beard to strengthen House firewalls and Blackberry security.