Shorr Bytes: According to three unnamed sources of Bloomberg, Russian hackers managed to hack the election systems in 39 U.S. states during the 2016 Presidential Election. This is twice as originally reported by the American media. As a result, the Obama administration had to use the “Red Phone” to complain to the Kremlin.
Just in case you were having second thoughts regarding Russia’s alleged role in the U.S. Presidential Elections, you need to read a new report from Bloomberg. According to the publication, Russia’s cyberattack reach was much larger than expected.
The Russian hackers were able to hit 39 states, which is twice as originally reported. More importantly, in one case, the hackers even tried to delete and alter voter data. At the moment, it remains unclear if these hacking efforts played any pivotal role in Trump’s unprecedented win.
Moreover, due to this widespread interference, Obama administration had to use the “Red Phone.” For those who don’t know, it’s a communication channel that’s used by countries to send/receive information.
Reportedly, Obama decided not to uncover the extent of hacking. He worried that it would shake people’s faith in the election process.
In its report, Bloomberg has cited three anonymous sources with direct knowledge of the ongoing investigation. The sources said that hackers attempted to tamper voter databases, registration process, and voting machine software.
It was also revealed that spear-phishing attacks were carried out to target the election officials. In at least one instance, hackers also infiltrated the campaign finance database.
Just a warm-up exercise
The most disturbing point outlined in the report is that the whole exercise was just a warm-up operation to get more information, which has given the hackers an idea of America’s voting process. The sources have told Bloomberg that Russian hackers are bound to return in 2018 and 2020.
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