News Daily Spot: Russian hackers suspected of attacking US electoral files

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Russian hackers suspected of attacking US electoral files

Source: voanews.com

















Russian hackers might be responsible for two recent attacks on electoral databases in two US states, local media reported, raising fears that Russia disrupt the upcoming presidential elections in November, as quoted by AFP news agency.

In early August, the FBI alerted the electoral authorities after detecting attempts to cyberattacks electoral files, which were initially revealed by Yahoo News.

Alert the Federal Police did not mention Russia, but according to US intelligence officials quoted by NBC, authorities accused Russian spy agencies.

"We conclude that it is likely that the recent pirating is linked to the Russian government," said one official, who added that there are "serious concerns" that Moscow look upset the American electoral process.

The FBI did not identify the states that were targeted in the attacks, but Yahoo News quoted officials who spoke to Illinois and Arizona.

A senior official of Illinois said last month that the state electoral registration closed after a cyberattack, while Chicago Tribune quoted official sources that the pirates stole up to 200,000 polling information files, although they were not erased or altered.

In Arizona, hackers failed when trying to attack the voter registration system with a malicious software, according to the press. Although the state voter registration suspended for nine days, there were no damages in its operation, authorities said.

Secretary of Homeland Security, Jeh Johnson, held a conference call earlier this month with the electoral authorities to ensure their systems.

These new cases occur after CNN reported that hackers suspected of having links with Russia carried out attacks on US media, including The New York Times.

At the same time, US officials said the Russian intelligence services are behind recent attacks on the Democratic Party bodies, including the campaign of its candidate for the White House, Hillary Clinton.

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