In a report to a House panel on Wednesday, FBI director James Comey confirmed that hackers have been detected scanning state controlled voter registration databases, even beyond those reported earlier this year. Back in July, a Russian hacker breached an Arizona database, while another unknown threat hit an Illinois system. Following these instances, the FBI warned states and local authorities that action must be taken to ensure a secure and untouched database. In his report, Comey explained that “there is no doubt that some bad actors have been poking around.” While they are unsure of who exactly hit these additional databases, at least in any formal capacity, Russian involvement is suspected.
This is hardly the first time that this election cycle has had to deal with hacking issues. On top of the tampering with the voter registration databases, the FBI is investigating a number of attempts to hack the smartphones of many prominent members of the DNC, including breach as recently as last month. Cyber attacks are increasingly becoming a widespread issue, with many close to the investigation believing that this particular breach was perpetrated by Russian hackers. Had they been successful, the hackers would have had access to tons of data, including sensitive material concerning the ongoing Presidential election. However, details from this attack are not being released at this time, with interim DNC Chairwoman Donna Brazile telling CNN:
“Our struggle with the Russian hackers that we announced in June is ongoing – as we knew it would be – and we are choosing not to provide general updates unless personal data or other sensitive information has been accessed or stolen.”
At this point in time, most people, including Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, believe that these actions were Russian. However, Republican nominee Donald Trump is less sure.
“I don’t think anybody knows it was Russia that broke into the DNC,” he said. “It could be Russia, but it could also be China. It could also be lots of other people.”