Election Interference
Officials: Hackers breach election systems in Illinois and Arizona
By Wesley Bruer and Evan Perez, CNN Updated 1808 GMT (0208 HKT) August 30, 2016
Story highlights
- Hackers accessed an Illinois Board of Elections database, compromising up to 200,000 records
- FBI Links Cyberattacks on Arizona and Illinois Voter-Registration Data to Foreign Hackers
Washington (CNN) Hackers have breached databases for election systems in Illinois and Arizona, according to state election and law enforcement officials. In Illinois, hackers accessed a database for the Illinois Board of Elections, compromising up to 200,000 personal voter records according to Ken Menzel, General Counsel for the board.
The FBI is investigating the hack, which initially occurred in late June and was discovered in July. It was first reported by Yahoo. Officials with the Board of Elections are "highly confident they (the hackers) weren't able to change anything, although the investigation is still going on" according to Menzel. Investigators believe the hackers are likely based overseas, according to a law enforcement official. Read the full story here
Senator John McCain Urges FBI To Address Cyberattacks On Arizona Election System
Sep 14 2016
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) sent a letter to Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Director James Comey today expressing concern about attempts by Russian hackers to breach Arizona’s voter registration system, which led to a nine-day shutdown of the state’s voter registration website in June.
In the letter, Senator McCain urges the FBI assess the damages this caused to the election system in Arizona; what steps the agency is taking to assist states like Arizona and Illinois that have been targeted by bad actors; and what policies it has in place to protect against and respond to future cyberattacks. “[W]e cannot expect our state and local officials to fend for themselves in the face of cyberattacks, especially those that may be state-sponsored. Any foreign interference with American elections must be treated as a threat to our vital national security interests,” writes Senator McCain.
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September 14, 2016
The Honorable James B. Comey
Director Federal Bureau of Investigations
935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20535
Dear Director Comey,
In June, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) notified Arizona officials that Russian hackers were behind attempts to breach Arizona’s voter registration system, which led to a nine-day shutdown of the state’s voter registration website. Russian hackers also reportedly breached Illinois’ voter registration database and stole as many as 200,000 voter records.
Clearly, Russia is using cyber capabilities to undermine American national interests at every turn, and it appears that our democracy could be the next target. While these incidents reportedly involve the actual or attempted theft of data, rather than actions capable of manipulating the results of the elections, they are no less serious.
In the hands of a sophisticated adversary, such data could be wielded as a weapon that could seriously undermine public trust in the election system and the legitimacy of our government. At a minimum, these revelations serve as a warning of potential vulnerabilities in our election system.
Yesterday, at a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Admiral Rogers confirmed that we continue to see activity of concern with respect to attempted interference in American elections through cyber means.
Unfortunately, these are not isolated incidents. As you know, on August 18, 2016, the FBI issued a flash alert notifying states of targeting activity against state board of election systems. In the midst of an election year, the events in Arizona and Illinois likely represent a foreshadowing of our cyber adversaries’ interest in stealing information, manipulating data, damaging public trust, and undermining the integrity of our elections.
The original Press Release is no longer available.
FBI Warns Foreign Hackers Have Targeted State Voter Registration Systems
A voting booth during New Hampshire primary on Feb. 9.Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images
Concerns over the cybersecurity of November’s election and potential foreign interference took a turn for the troubling on Monday with reports that the FBI is investigating suspected foreign attempts to hack state election computer systems. Attempts to break into voter registration systems in Illinois and Arizona have prompted the FBI to warn states to increase their cybersecurity measures.
Hacking Democracy is an excellent site to browse through regarding United States election vulnerabilities.
Here’s more from the Washington Post:
Russian Hackers Targeted Arizona Election System
The [FBI] told Arizona officials that the threat was “credible” and severe, ranking as “an 8 on a scale of 1 to 10,” said Matt Roberts, a spokesman for the secretary of state’s office. As a result, Secretary of State Michele Reagan shut down the state voter registration system for almost a week. It turned out that the hackers did not succeed in compromising the state system or even any county system, but rather had managed to steal the user name and password for one Gila County elections official…
In Illinois, officials discovered an intrusion into their state voter registration system in July… Although the hackers did not alter any data, the intrusion into the Illinois database marks the first successful compromise of a state election database, federal officials said.
The Arizona intrusion has been linked to Russian hackers and following the DNC hack earlier this year has again raised questions about efforts to meddle with the election.
Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University.
Elliot Hannon is a writer in New York City. Follow him on Twitter.