White House staffer leaves email passwords on official stationery at bus stop

It is not clear whether the mistake compromised sensitive information

Maya Oppenheim
Monday 19 March 2018 20:50 GMT
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ProtonMail is an end-to-end encryption email service
ProtonMail is an end-to-end encryption email service

A White House staffer reportedly left the password to his encrypted email account at a bus stop in Washington DC.

According to The Intercept, Ryan McAvoy left his ProtonMail passwords and email address on a piece of White House emblazoned stationary at a bus stop near the White House.

ProtonMail is an end-to-end encryption email service frequently used by figures in politics, journalists and others who often deal with sensitive information.

An individual is said to have discovered the note and handed it into the online publication who in turn verified its authenticity.

But the aide, who is a staff assistant in Donald Trump’s White House, failed to respond to The Intercept requests for comment.

It is not clear whether the mistake compromised any sensitive information.

Last week, House Democrats on the Intelligence Committee released a memo outlining the steps they would have taken had they been in charge of the Trump-Russia investigation.

They said they were interested in filing a subpoena to see how Trump campaign officials used messaging service Whatsapp.

Democrats said they wanted to see how senior White House adviser Jared Kushner and other campaign employees are using the messaging app and others including iMessage, Facebook Messenger, Slack, Signal, Instagram and Snapchat on the encrypted networks.

According to the publication, the committee may also consider adding ProtonMail to that list.

Last September, it was reported that six members of Trump’s administration used private email addresses while carrying out government business.

This came after Mr Trump and Republicans lambasted former Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server while working as Secretary of State.

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