Attempt to hack DNC voter data thwarted
CHICAGO — An attempt to break into the Democratic National Committee’s massive voter database has been thwarted, a party official said Wednesday, two years after Russian operatives sent the party into disarray by hacking into its computers and facilitating the release of tens of thousands of emails amid the presidential election.
A web security firm using artificial intelligence uncovered the attempt. The DNC was notified Tuesday, it said. Hackers had created a fake login page to gather usernames and passwords in an effort to gain access to the Democratic Party’s voter file, a party official said. The file contains information on tens of millions of voters.
The attempt was quickly thwarted by suspending the attacker’s account, and no information was compromised, the official said. The FBI was notified.
The attempt comes as Democrats gather for their summer meeting. It also comes a day after Microsoft announced it had uncovered similarly fraudulent websites created by Kremlin agents that spoofed two conservative outfits that are foes of Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, presumably to trick unwitting visitors into surrendering credentials.
Bob Lord, the DNC’s chief security officer, said the attempt showed how serious the cyberthreat is and why it’s critical that state and federal officials work together on security.
“This attempt is further proof that there are constant threats as we head into midterm elections and we must remain vigilant in order to prevent future attacks,” Lord said in a statement.
At a previously scheduled election security briefing Wednesday, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said the quick response to the attempted DNC hack showed that the system was working “and that different entities understand who to reach out to,” she said.
Amid the news, a Senate committee abruptly postponed a Wednesday vote on legislation to help states prevent against election hacking, frustrating Democrats and at least one Republican on the panel.
The vote was put off by the Senate Rules and Administration Committee after a bipartisan group of lawmakers spent months negotiating the legislation.
Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, one of the bill’s sponsors, said after the vote’s postponement: “Congressional inaction is unacceptable.”
The bill “will help states take necessary steps to further prepare our election infrastructure for the possibility of interference from not just Russia, but other possible adversaries like Iran or North Korea or a hacktivist group,” Lankford said.