FOLLOW US

America October 23, 2020 3 mins read

Russian hackers targeting state and local gov’t networks, U.S. officials report

America ı By Dee Dulfo

0 Comments

hacker-2851143_640

U.S. officials on Thursday said Russian state-sponsored hackers have targeted the computer networks of dozens of state and local governments in the country, stealing data from at least two servers. The warning has amplified fears about foreign hackers' latest moves ahead of Election Day.

In an advisory, intelligence experts at the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), said hackers with the group known variously as Berserk Bear, Energetic Bear, and TeamSpy, among other names, have logged in to government administrator accounts and then moved around in sensitive systems.

The stolen data included sensitive network configurations and passwords, IT instructions such as requesting password resets, vendors and purchasing information, and printing access badges.

While the hackers have exfiltrated data from at least two victim servers, the FBI and CISA said they have no information to indicate that the intruders have “intentionally disrupted any aviation, education, elections, or government operations.”

The agencies said while there may be some risk to elections information because the Russian government-backed hackers are targeting state and local networks, they have “no evidence to date that integrity of elections data has been compromised.”

“However, the actor may be seeking access to obtain future disruption options, to influence U.S. policies and actions, or to delegitimize SLTT government entities,” the advisory read.

U.S. investigators have reported that Russian military intelligence hackers successfully infiltrated various state and local election offices during the 2016 campaign, saying the hack included sensitive information on about 500,000 voters. Federal executives, at the time, reported that they had no indication that the theft had interfered with the election or altered the results.

Officials earlier reported that Russia and Iran had obtained voting registration information.

The announcement from the intelligence experts that Russia has breached anew U.S. networks comes a day after Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe and FBI Director Christopher Wray said that Russia and Iran had attempted to interfere with the US presidential election.

The officials, however, sought to allay fears about the integrity of the vote, with FBI Director Wray saying: “You should be confident that your vote counts. Early, unverified claims to the contrary should be viewed with a healthy dose of skepticism.”

The U.S. government recently charged six Russian hackers allegedly responsible for deploying the "most destructive malware to date" that harmed thousands of U.S. and international corporations, organizations, and other victims.

Earlier this month, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) took action to help preserve and protect the integrity and security of the upcoming U.S. presidential elections by stopping a massive hacking operation called Trickbot.

----------------------------------------

Have a story you want USA Herald to cover? Submit a tip here and if we think it's newsworthy, we'll follow up on it.

Want to contribute a story? We also accept article submissions – check out our writer's guidelines here.

Previous Article

Finance Your Business With These Eight Techniques

Read More
180 Posts

Dee Dulfo

Dee is a journalist and a news anchor. He enjoys traveling the world with just a backpack.

Discussion

No comments yet. Be the first to join the discussion!

Don’t Miss It
America October 23, 2026 Lawyers Could Collect $1.27 Billion in Meta Privacy Case By – Michallie K Harrison
America October 23, 2026
Plutonium Pit Production Faces Safety and…

WASHINGTON — The Energy Department has approved full construction of…

By – Michallie K Harrison
Breaking News October 23, 2026
Powerful 7.0 Earthquake Strikes Tibet: At…

LHASA, Tibet — A powerful magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck a…

By – Derek Johnson
America October 23, 2026
Wall Street Rattled: Nasdaq Plunges 2.6%…

NEW YORK — A fresh wave of doubt about the…

By – Derek Johnson
America October 23, 2026
Judge Orders Trump to Sit for…

MIAMI — President Donald Trump must sit for a sworn…

By – Derek Johnson
America October 22, 2026
Pope Leo XIV Needs No Further…

VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV will not require additional…

By – Jackie Allen
America October 22, 2026
Six Women Testify in Russell Brand…

LONDON — Six women have testified in the Russell Brand…

By – Michallie K Harrison
America October 22, 2026
Websites Go Dark as AI Uncovers…

The PHP security crisis has pushed government websites offline and…

By – Michallie K Harrison
America October 21, 2026
El Nino Could Reach Historic Strength,…

GENEVA — El Nino, a powerful climate pattern that warms…

By – Jackie Allen
America October 21, 2026
News Overload Can Fuel Anxiety and…

News keeps people informed about wars, political conflict, public safety…

By – Jackie Allen
America October 21, 2026
Atlanta Rapper Indicted in Alleged $4.6…

ATLANTA — Shawtey Dred, the social media persona of Atlanta…

By – Jackie Allen
America October 21, 2026
Intuitive Surgical $450M Settlement Targets Da…

Intuitive Surgical has agreed to pay $450 million to resolve…

By – Tyler Brooks
America October 21, 2026
Getty Images Files Chapter 11 With…

Getty Images Holdings Inc., the visual content giant behind millions…

By – Tyler Brooks
America October 21, 2026
Musk and Trump Have a Starlink…

Opinion | Starlink restrictions in Ukraine have exposed a problem Elon Musk…

By – Michallie K Harrison
America October 21, 2026
Texas Trans Texts Spark Election Propaganda…

News Analysis | Texas voters began casting early ballots Monday,…

By – Michallie K Harrison
America October 20, 2026
California Ballots: DOJ Cites Charges Against…

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is citing charges against 28…

By – Michallie K Harrison
America October 20, 2026
Richard Riehle Dies at 78, Leaving…

Richard Riehle, the character actor whose memorable roles included “Office…

By – Michallie K Harrison
America October 20, 2026
Extreme Heat Is Spreading and Lasting…

An extreme heat event lasting 367 days touched nearly 85%…

By – Michallie K Harrison
America October 19, 2026
Information Ecosystem: Five Tools to Detect…

The information ecosystem is increasingly vulnerable to misinformation. There are…

By – Jackie Allen
America October 21, 2026
Meta Stock in Focus as Earnings,…

Meta delivered a powerful revenue performance in its third-quarter earnings…

By – Tyler Brooks
America October 21, 2026
Pantheon $6B Secondaries Fund Marks Firm’s…

Private markets investor Pantheon has secured $6 billion in capital…

By – Rachel Moore
America October 21, 2026
TDI Launches Insurance Fraud Task Force…

The Texas Department of Insurance has launched a coordinated push…

By – Rachel Moore
America October 21, 2026
Children’s Mercy Insurance Coverage Changes: Kansas…

Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City will no longer participate…

By – Rachel Moore
America October 21, 2026
BioWare Closing: EA Shuts Down Legendary…

Electronic Arts is reshaping its videogame empire in a sweeping…

By – Rachel Moore
America October 20, 2026
Auto-Owners Insurers Verdict: Jury Awards Warehouse…

A North Carolina federal jury has awarded nearly $2 million…

By – Tyler Brooks
America October 16, 2026
HealthSplash VP 18 Months Sentencing Rewards…

Cooperation can shave years off a prison term, but it…

By – Tyler Brooks
America October 16, 2026
Daylight Saving Time Returns Nov. 1…

Americans will turn their clocks back one hour on Nov.…

By – Jackie Allen
America October 16, 2026
California Identifies New York Life, Aetna,…

Key Takeaways   California’s Department of Insurance maintains an official…

By – Samuel Lopez
America October 16, 2026
Three Children, Teacher Killed in Oregon…

BEND, Ore. — An Oregon school shooting killed three children…

By – Michallie K Harrison
America October 15, 2026
Trump Scraps Hegseth’s Execution Livestream After…

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump canceled the planned execution livestream…

By – Michallie K Harrison
America October 13, 2026
Pope Leo XIV’s Surgery Exposes Gap…

By Samuel López | USA Herald VATICAN CITY — As…

By – Samuel Lopez
America October 19, 2026
An Airman Died After a Pregame…

By Michallie K. Harrison | Opinion Tech. Sgt. Ian Patterson’s…

By – Michallie K Harrison
America October 16, 2026
NFL Player $300M Hip Surgery Lawsuit…

Athletes bet their bodies on surgeons the way pilots bet…

By – Tyler Brooks
America October 16, 2026
Russian Drone Strikes Hit American Businesses…

Russian drone strikes against American-linked businesses in Ukraine are raising…

By – Jackie Allen
America October 11, 2026
AP Poll Top 25: Georgia Claims…

Georgia has reclaimed the top spot in the AP Poll…

By – Rachel Moore
America October 10, 2026
A.J. Armstrong: Former NFL Player’s Son…

 HOUSTON — Antonio “A.J.” Armstrong Jr., the son of former…

By – Jackie Allen
America October 9, 2026
NFL Pro Tyreek Hill Takes the…

What the Jury Is Hearing Lakeeta “Keeta” Vaccaro Hill testified…

By – Samuel Lopez

No posts found.

No posts found.

Signup for the USA Herald
exclusive Newsletter