Russian Attack On Electoral System Worse Than Previously Reported
We Just Got More Evidence That the Russian Hack Was Even Worse Than Previously Thought.
The Russian hack on the U.S. electoral system was larger in scope than previously known, according to a new report.
A report by Bloomberg News released Tuesday notes that the cyber attack that took place during the 2016 election targeted nearly twice the number of states as was previously revealed.
Russian hackers attacked systems in 39 states according to the Bloomberg report.
The report cites people with direct knowledge of the U.S. investigation into the Russian hacking effort.
Investigators have evidence that shows that hackers worked to delete or alter voter data in Illinois.
The Russia hackers also were able to successfully access software designed to be used by poll workers on election day.
Additionally, Russia was able to hack into the campaign finance database in at least one state.
U.S. investigators believe the Russian hack of state voter roles was a trial run for a major disruptive cyber attack on election day that would have thrown the entire process into mass chaos.
“That idea would obsess the Obama White House throughout the summer and fall of 2016, outweighing worries over the DNC hack and private Democratic campaign emails given to Wikileaks and other outlets, according to one of the people familiar with those conversations,” the Bloomberg report notes.
“The Homeland Security Department dispatched special teams to help states strengthen their cyber defenses, and some states hired private security companies to augment those efforts,” the report continued.
