New evidence reveals that the 2016 Russian hacks into voter databases and software systems go much further than initially made public. What started in Illinois with cyber attempts to delete and alter data is now believed to have extended into 39 states. Additionally, attacks were aimed at software for poll workers and even made it so far as to breach one state’s campaign finance records. These new details about the hacks that occurred over the summer and autumn of 2016 come from three sources with direct knowledge of the investigation.
Concerned with the coordination and skill of the attack, officials within the Obama administration contacted Moscow directly in October. According to two of the sources, the White House contacted the Kremlin through a back channel to explain the evidence pointing to Russia’s position in the attack and how the election meddling could lead to a wider dispute.
Supported by classified documents from the National Security Agency, released by The Intercept, these new details reveal the entirety of the cyber intrusions being federally investigated. Investigators are also looking closely to determine if officials from President Trump’s campaign may have conspired with the perpetrators. So far, the documents show a troubling image of future voting as the defenselessness of the software behind U. S. elections is exposed soon after former FBI Director James Comey told Congress the Moscow’s interference isn’t over.
“They’re coming after America,” Comey told the Senate Intelligence Committee. “They will be back.”
An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment about the investigation.
Denials From Russia
Despite mounting evidence, Russian officials continue to repudiate any allegations regarding the cyber attacks, including the “spear phishing” campaign that jeopardized Hillary Clinton’s operation, the Democratic National Committee, and other groups. President Vladimir Putin told reporters that while nefarious individuals in the country may be responsible but acted without governmental sanction.
A lingering mystery about the attempted hacking is if Russian intelligence was in fact behind the attack, why didn’t they use the information gathered from the illicit access into state and local systems to disrupt actual voting. One explanation is the America’s warning was enough to scare off action. However, a senior U.S. official, who wishes to remain anonymous, said likely the disparity across the 7,000 different jurisdictions failed to give the ingress they actually wanted despite the length of the hack.
However, votes would not have to be altered to ultimately undermine confidence in the election process. In actuality, the Obama administration thought the aim was to slow vote counts or erase voter registration rather than change anyone’s vote.
At the same time, we may not have seen all that the Russians intend to do with their access. One former senior official is concerned that the Russians have a few years to increase their knowledge of the system before they launch a fully armed attack in the next U.S. presidential election.
Secure IM’s
As part of an effort de-escalate rising cyber tensions between Russia and the U.S., a cyber “red phone” was constructed, a secure messaging channel designed for urgent messages. Turns out though, that it was not as secure as it could be. NBC News reported the use of this service in December 2016.
U. S. officials provided the Russian government with the proof at the time of the hacking efforts and how it was considered an act of aggression. Russia wanted more evidence while promising to do their own investigations while the cyber intrusions continued, sources say.
“Last year, as we detected intrusions into websites managed by election officials around the country, the administration worked relentlessly to protect our election infrastructure,” said Eric Schultz, a spokesman for former President Barack Obama. “Given that our election systems are so decentralized, that effort meant working with Democratic and Republican election administrators from all across the country to bolster their cyber defenses.”
Infiltrations in Illinois
Illinois was one of the few states that allowed the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI full investigatory access into their systems which provided them with an account of the hackers’ activities.
A state contractor first noticed in July of 2016, unauthorized network activity, according to general counsel for the Illinois Board of Elections, Ken Menzel. Voter information, such as partial Social Security numbers, names, genders, and dates of birth, for up to 90,000 records was accessed in a database that contained the same data for 15 million citizens.
Although this kind of access is dangerous in terms of identity theft, when it comes to Illinois elections, it may be ineffectual. If this database had been deleted at the state level, explains Menzel, it would not affect the county records, the level at which the elections actually are controlled. The Russian hackers could not have known this at the time of the incursion.
But at the same time, there is a weakness that could be exploited now that hackers have had a glimpse into the system. For example, the state system does approve online voter registration. Once the registration is approved, only then does the voter information go to the county to be added to the roll, a practice that is common in many states and could provide future opportunity for record manipulation.
Ground Zero
Illinois was Ground Zero in the cyber attack but investigators have found that indeed 80% of United States voting systems have been compromised. The evidence from the Illinois systems enabled federal investigators to form digital “signatures, including tell-tale Internet Protocol addresses, to be alerted as soon as the hackers were at work again.
Then the signatures were distributed via a Homeland Security alert to each state. Using the signatures, thirty-seven states were able to find traces of infiltrations in a number of their systems, sources close to the investigations said. Both Florida and California found hacking traces in critical election systems managed by private contractors.
A leaked NSA document, supposedly revealed by Reality Winner the 25-year old government contractor who was arrested last week, names the Florida contractor as VR systems which makes identification systems utilized by poll workers.
According to those familiar with the inquiry, investigators found evidence that hackers attempted to delete or alter certain records, which was not widely reported before. This activity implies more intent than spying only and could have been a test run for a future possibly destructive attack.
The Reaction
A destructive attack on the voting system would become the focal point for the Obama White House in the final months of his administration, overtaking concerns about the Democratic campaign emails delivered to Wikileaks or the Democratic National Convention hacks, sources said. Homeland Security teams were sent to states in an effort to aid in cyber security improvements while other states employed private security companies.
The full extent of the Russian cyber incursion is still not known for many states where limited cooperation with federal authorities was given. Although the DHS wanted to declare such systems critical infrastructure, which would give the federal government oversight and more power to step in, Republicans were against the idea of more federal controls. It was only after the 2016 election that all parties were able to reach an agreement regarding the designation.
Since the attacks, Russian-American relations have been strained. The secure IM service between the two governments has been in place 2008 as a way to exchange message and files in the event of cyber conflict. Announced in 2011 as part of the Nuclear Risk Reduction Centers, communication occurs through fiber-optic lines.
However, after being contacted by Obama officials, the hackers continued with their attacks, even while Russia asked for additional evidence. Even up to the date of the election, Russian intelligence was trying to gain entry to 122 election officials’ computers, according to leaked NSA documents.
Although some inside the White House wanted to make the entirety of the Russian threat publicly known, sources present in those discussion say that the Obama administration did not want to damage public perceptions regarding the sanctity of the election.
More News to Read
- Will President Trump Be a Climate Crusader?
- Get Ready for the Chevy Bolt – It’s Nearly Here!
- How Can We Count Black Holes? How Many are There?
- Scientists Hope to Combat Rare Genetic Diseases With This Radical Proposal
- Neural Networks are Now Being Used to Represent Quantum Systems
