Senators expose Russian election hacking
WASHINGTON — The Senate Intelligence Committee, in a new report on Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, said Thursday that systems in all 50 states probably were targeted in some manner, that the federal government fell short in warning states about the threat, and that vulnerability persists heading into the 2020 campaign.
The panel’s investigation found that Russia’s 2016 interference began as early as 2014 and continued into at least 2017, and it echoed findings from other federal officials who have said there’s no evidence that votes were changed or voting machines were compromised.
However, it concluded that “Russian cyber-actors were in a position to delete or change voter data” in Illinois’ voter database.
Notably, the heavily redacted report says U.S. officials believed that Russians probably “scanned” systems in every state — including activity such as basic research on “election-related web pages, voter ID information, election system software, and election service companies.” The Department of Homeland Security disclosed two years ago that Russian government hackers had targeted 21 states during the 2016 election cycle.
The intelligence committee found that, leading up the election, the federal government’s communication with the states about the nature and seriousness of the threat was unsatisfactory. It encouraged the Department of Homeland Security to improve its coordination with state election officials — while stating firmly that states would remain in the lead on running elections.
The federal government “provided no clear reason for states to take this threat more seriously than any other alert received.”
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-ore., wrote a minority opinion disagreeing with the report’s recommendation
that states remain in charge of running elections.
“We shouldn’t ask a county election IT employee to fight a war against the full capabilities and vast resources of Russia’s cyber army,” Wyden wrote. “That approach failed in 2016, and it will fail again.”
The report — the first volume of several to be released from the committee’s investigation into Russia’s 2016 election interference — came just 24 hours after the former special counsel, Robert Mueller, warned that Russia was moving again to interfere “as we sit here.”
It also landed hours after Sen. Mitch Mcconnell, R-KY., the majority leader, personally stepped forward to block consideration of a package of electionsecurity bills. • An album by Electric Orange Peel is titled “Seed.” Because of a reporter’s error, an incorrect title appeared on Page E7 of Thursday’s Weekender.
• In fiscal year 2019, Ohiohealth had 553,000 emergency department visits. Because of incorrect information given to The Dispatch, a story on Wednesday’s Page A1 listed an incorrect figure.