Federal Bureau of Investigation warns of possible state election-system hacks

The FBI is warning state officials to boost their election security in light of evidence that hackers breached related data systems in two states including IL.

Earlier this month, hackers used the same vulnerability in an “attempted intrusion activities into another state’s Board of Election system”, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said.

It added that “attempts should not be made to touch or ping the IP addresses directly”.

The statement, dated August 18, also included a list of recommendations for the state officials to follow in light of the growing threat of new cyberattacks.

As Yahoo News reported Monday, the FBI’s Cyber Division sent a flash alert, warning recipients to review records for data access and beef up security.

While the answer to that question remains maybe news has emerged that voting systems in two states have actually been hacked, including one instance of voting registration data being stolen.

The FBI has issued an alert across the nation that criminals and foreign governments might try to hack into election systems in November. The latest hack is fuelling concerns that Russian Federation is attempting to interfere in the United States presidential elections.

The report apparently noted that Arizona and IL were the two states whose systems were exploited – with both attacks coming from the same IP addresses.

According to Bloomberg, the federal government could step in to offer extra assistance to state election officials. Whether or not that was the address previously used by Russian hackers is not clear.

The FBI declined to comment on the breaches against the state election databases mentioned in its bulletin.

The FBI reports that eight IP address, each a unique numeric code identifying an individual computer, used readily available software to scan the Board of Election websites for vulnerabilities.

While state officials claim there was no harm done, cyber security experts say more fortification is needed. “We are also now working with Election Systems & Software, our election systems vendor, to ensure that no breaches have occurred to their system”.

Although the alert does not identify targeted states, Yahoo News quoted officials as saying they were IL and Arizona.

The Department of Homeland Security is unaware of any specific credible threat to the electoral systems, according to a law enforcement official. The state’s system isn’t linked to city or county government elections departments.

“We take very seriously any effort by any actor”, Comey said, “to influence the conduct of affairs in our country, whether that’s an election or something else”.

The incidents prompted Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson to hold a conference call with state election officials earlier this month.