CFPB called out for deteriorating cybersecurity capacity

Acting Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Russell Vought has been urged by Senate Banking Committee Democrats Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Mark Warner of Virginia, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, Andy Kim of New Jersey, and Ruben Gallego of Arizona to explain scathing findings from a Federal Reserve Office of the Inspector General report detailing its cybersecurity deficiencies, according to FedScoop.

Mounting security issues at the CFPB have been attributed by the report to reductions in staff and contractor support, a situation that the senators noted to be not only impermissible and avoidable but also due to Vought's abrupt firings and contract cancellations. They also noted that the Trump administration moved to halt work orders, close the headquarters, and carry out mass layoffs.

"The agency maintains systems that house sensitive data, including personally identifiable information from complaints submitted by consumers across the country. We write to request information regarding your failure to protect the American public and once again demand that you halt your efforts to shutter the agency," they said in the letter.

The lawmakers want answers by Dec. 8, including a list of canceled cyber-related contracts and an explanation of how those choices affected the CFPB's ability to protect sensitive data.