Skip to main content

A New Era in Warfare? US Voter Data Breached by Russian Hackers

CBN

Share This article

The FBI is warning state officials to boost their election security in light of evidence that Russia-based hackers targeted data systems in Arizona and Illinois.

The breaches included the theft of data from as many as 200,000 voter records.

In a confidential "flash" alert first reported by Yahoo News, the FBI Cyber Division said it had advised states to scan their systems for specific signs of hacking. Officials describe the hacker threat as credible and significant, an eight on a scale of one to 10.

In July, Russia-based hackers breached the Illinois Board of Elections. According to the Washington Post, they put up to 200,000 personal voter records at risk, including voters' names, addresses, birthdays and other personal information.

In Arizona, hackers forced the state to shut down its voter registration system for nearly a week. Both breaches are the latest indication of possible Russian interest in U.S. elections and party operations.

Earlier this year hackers compromised the computers of the Democratic National Committee, producing embarrassing emails for the DNC on the eve of Hillary Clinton's nomination as the party's presidential candidate.

Russian hackers have also managed to hack into the computers at The New York Times.

The hacks are the latest example of potential cyber warfare against the United States – something that threatens the U.S. military, businesses and more. It's a threat the White House has acknowledged in the past.

"This is a very serious matter. It does pose a significant threat not just to the American people but also to our national security and to our economy," White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters during a June press briefing.

The Obama administration is seeking to put more emphasis on developing cyber weapons in hopes of preventing such attacks and punishing intruders into U.S. networks.

Reuters reports the plan calls for elevating the stature of the Pentagon's Cyber Command, making it a "unified command" equal to combat branches of the military, such as the Central and Pacific Commands.

The hacking alert from the FBI is only the latest government warning that the future of warfare won't be just on the battlefield and won't involve only the military. Instead, it will be carried out by computers, and could cover every aspect of life.

Share This article