U.S. says Russian hackers targeted state and local governments ahead of the election, stealing data from two servers. Officials did not say who was targeted, and said they have no information that the integrity of elections data has been compromised.
FILE - In this Oct. 20, 2020, file photo an election worker pulls a stack of returned ballots from a sorting machine at the King County Elections office Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020, in Renton, Wash. U.S. officials said Thursday, Oct. 22, that Russian hackers have targeted the networks of dozens of state and local governments in the United States in recent days, stealing data from at least two servers.
WASHINGTON — U.S. officials said Thursday that Russian hackers have targeted the networks of dozens of state and local governments in the United States in recent days, stealing data from at least two servers. The warning, less than two weeks before the election, amplified fears of the potential for tampering with the vote and undermining confidence in the results.
The alert describes an onslaught of recent activity from Russian state-sponsored hacking groups in recent days against state and local networks, some of which were successfully compromised. The advisory from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity agency functions as a reminder of Russia’s potent capabilities even after U.S. officials warned about Iranian interference at a news conference on Wednesday night.
U.S. officials attribute the activity to a state-sponsored hacking group variously known as DragonFly and Energetic Bear in the cybersecurity community. The group appears to have been in operation since at least 2011 and is known to have engaged in cyberespionage on energy companies and power grid operators in the U.S. and Europe as well as defense and aviation companies.
The U.S. has said that Russia, which interfered in the 2016 election by hacking Democratic email accounts, is interfering again this year in part by a concerted effort to denigrate President Donald Trump’s Democratic opponent, Joe Biden.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
At least 45 US lawmakers urge Washington to boycott Saudi-hosted G20Among a suite of demands, Congress members called on Riyadh to release jailed activists, end its military campaign in neighbouring Yemen and provide accountability for the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul.
Read more »
Three-man US-Russian crew returns to Earth from ISSNASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and Russian cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner landed on Earth southeast of the Kazakh city of Zhezkazgan completing their mission aboard the ISS.
Read more »
Ongoing Russian Cyberattacks Are Targeting U.S. Election Systems, Feds SayJUST IN: Russian cyberattacks are targeting U.S. election systems, federal authorities revealed Thursday, but so far there's no evidence that elections data has been compromised.
Read more »
Only two other times since George Washington was president has the U.S. stock market been as far above trend as it is nowOPINION: There have been only two other occasions when the U.S. stock market was as far above trend as it is now: the late 1960s/early 1970s and at the top of the internet bubble. We all know what happened after those two periods, writes Mark Hulbert.
Read more »
U.S. State Department approves $1.8 billion in potential arms sales to Taiwan - PentagonThe U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale of three weapons systems to Taiwan, including sensors, missiles and artillery that could have a total value of $1.8 billion, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.
Read more »
Breakingviews - Corona Capital: U.S. state budget woesFrom Breakingviews: New York is going to be in deep financial trouble if federal relief doesn’t come soon. But conservative U.S. states are hurting just as much
Read more »