The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) informed 21 states that hackers targeted their voter registration system before the 2016 election.
Last year, the administration of President Obama disclosed a widespread hacking of the U.S. electoral system by Russian hackers. The Obama White House used the “red phone” to complain directly to Kremlin’s meddling in the presidential race.
Russian officials strongly denied any role in the cyber attacks related to the presidential election.
The states that receive notification from the DHS on Friday include Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, and Iowa. Maryland, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin also received notices from the agency.
The disclosure comes amid a Special Counsel investigation into Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election. The Special Counsel is also investigating whether Russia colluded with the campaign or associates of then presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Hackers breached only a few networks
In most cases, the hacking involves preparatory activities such as scanning the computers systems. The hackers failed to access the voting systems of most of the targeted states. They were able to hack a few networks, but did not involve the actual counting of votes.
