Russians may have hacked US voting systems in 39 states


Klamath Falls, OR—— Recent reports that Russian hackers made their way into voting software providers' systems were certainly shocking but may have been a fraction of the effort's full reach.

According to a Bloomberg report published on Tuesday, the attackers may have gained access to voting systems and voter databases in as many as 39 states.

The wide-ranging and skilled hacking concerned the Obama administration. White House officials complained directly to the Kremlin and warned during a communication in October, that "the attacks risked setting off a broader conflict," the report notes.

The Kremlin’s election interference may have gone much further than previously reported. In recent weeks, news has emerged that suggests Russian efforts to meddle with the election went far beyond influencing media coverage, and may have targeted voting systems as well. Last week, The Intercept reported that Russian military intelligence had executed a cyberattack on a U.S. voting software company. (The source who allegedly leaked the highly classified intelligence report was subsequently arrested.) Now, Bloomberg reports that the Russian incursions went even deeper than previously thought. According to three people with direct knowledge of the investigation into the cyberattacks, Russia may have infiltrated voter databases and software systems in 39 U.S. states during the 2016 election—almost twice as many states as previously reported.

Bloomberg reports that 37 states claim to have found evidence of hackers in their voting systems. Two more states, California and Florida, said that evidence was found in systems that were being run by a private contractor. This squares with the intelligence report obtained by The Intercept, which claimed that Russian military intelligence had hacked into VR Systems, a Florida-based voting system company that has contracts in California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, New York, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.

“They’re coming after America,” Comey told the Senate Intelligence Committee investigating Russian interference in the election. “They will be back.”

“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.” ― Theodore Roosevelt

By James Garland of Tulelake News
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