Federal investigators to examine equipment from 2016 N.C. election amid renewed fears of Russian hac

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: Washington Post

Investigations
Federal investigators to examine equipment from 2016 N.C. election amid renewed fears of Russian hacking

By Neena Satija
June 5 at 8:00 AM

It was a single phrase, offered without elaboration, in special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s report: In August 2016, hackers working for Russian military intelligence “installed malware on the company network” of an unnamed voter registration technology vendor in the United States. ... The claim amounts to one of the first indications that Russians successfully executed a cyberattack against a private company supporting American election infrastructure. And it has set off a scramble for answers in North Carolina, where officials have long been concerned about the security of a voting technology company called VR Systems — so much so that the state tried to halt the use of its electronic poll books, equipment used to check in voters.

Problems checking in voters on Election Day 2016 in Durham County, one of the largest counties in the state, made national headlines. Later, leaked documents revealed that Russians had tried to hack VR Systems shortly before the election. After the Mueller report, state officials wanted to know: Was VR Systems the company referenced? What effect, if any, did the malware have? And how could they prevent it from happening in 2020?

An examination of North Carolina’s struggle to answer those questions, detailed in court records and a dozen interviews, hints at the difficulties state officials face in shoring up security ahead of next year’s elections — a lack of technical expertise, poor communication between state and federal officials, and the apparent unwillingness, in this instance, of the federal agency involved to share information. Russian hackers targeted elections infrastructure in at least 21 states, and likely more, in 2016, federal officials have said. .... Hackers could not directly alter vote totals by breaching poll books. But they could create substantial delays or even prevent voters from casting ballots.

On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security told The Washington Post it will conduct a forensic analysis of the laptops used in Durham County elections in 2016. Lawson said North Carolina first asked the department to conduct such a review more than 18 months ago, though he added that DHS has generally been a “good partner” on election security.
....

Ellen Nakashima contributed to this report.

Neena Satija has been an investigative reporter for The Washington Post since January 2019. She was previously an investigative reporter and radio producer for the Texas Tribune and Reveal, a national radio show and podcast. Follow https://twitter.com/neenareports

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/federal-investigators-to-examine-equipment-from-2016-north-carolina-election-amid-renewed-fears-of-russian-hacking/2019/06/05/b70402e6-7816-11e9-b7ae-390de4259661_story.html

[Botany]

1. This! "Russian hackers targeted elections infrastructure in at least 21 states, and likely more, ...

... in 2016, federal officials have said. .... Hackers could not directly alter vote totals by breaching poll books. But they could create substantial delays or even prevent voters from casting ballots."


Russia installed Trump as POTUS and the Trump campaign and republican officials* went right along
with the Russian attack on democracy. End of story.


* Mitch McConnell I'm looking @ you.

[CrispyQ]

2. I guess we're never going back to paper ballots counted by fellow citizens.

Oh my, the things we've given up for convenience.

[Botany]

3. Notice they always put in the "no votes were changed" caveat because Putin wouldn't do that.

n/t

[BadgerMom]

9. Whose convenience? Media's convenience.

I’m capable of waiting a little while longer for the sake of accuracy and democracy. Most of us are. The people dying for instant info are the election night teams ready to pontificate about who voted for whom and why immediately.

[LiberalLovinLug]

15. As well its a myth started for whatever reason, that it takes longer

In other countries with paper ballots, they get election results the same day, barring close precincts that may need a recount.

Here in Canada, we get them the same evening. In fact, its a matter of contention each election, the fact that the Western provinces already know sometimes the outcome because we hear the majority of vote tallies before our polls even close. Its TOO efficient.

Also the added bonus of extra temporary employment for thousands of people. Another myth: the USA is a bigger country, so it wouldn't work. Yes you'd have to hire 10x the temp workers, but you have 10x the population to draw from! So its basically the same situation. All I remember was it was a great experience in my youth. I learned a lot. Made some coin. I helped hand count my precincts votes at the end. Unfortunately my choice did not win.

[Maine-i-acs]

4. Lost state, lost EVs, lost Governor, lost Senator.

All swiped by Putin
all the damage done intentionally to POC and Dem voters.
and the R's were complicit.
throwing away mail-in ballots was the tip of the iceberg

[FiveGoodMen]

5. K&R

[usaf-vet]

6. Check the Wisconsin results as well.

It is known that the Russians used Wisconsin and two other states to manipulate the Electoral College outcomes and put Trump in office.

Wisconsin has been controlled and gerrymandered to the Republicans advantaged since Walker and the Koch brothers targeted the state.

Public records have shown that there has always been a manipulation of vote counts since electronic voting has been in place in Wisconsin. We have seen several cases of 7000 votes popping up to swing the results to the republican advantage.

Hacking the voting results is a lot easier if the party in control looks the other way.

[tymorial]

7. Oh sure the doj is going to ensure that the 2020 presidential election is above board

Headline should probably read Federal investigators will install dedicated connections to the Kremlin so that Russia doesnt have budget propaganda and hacking costs.

[Sancho]

8. ...what about Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, etc., etc....

[Ligyron]

11. Florida for sure...

[BadgerMom]

10. K & R

I’ve believed this needed investigation from Election Night on, even before, in previous elections. People who share this view have been shushed as though we’re children. Yet, to me, the fact that the powers that be felt the need to quell inquiry from the beginning has made the entire issue more shady.

[llmart]

12. Didn't Ivanka's so called business just purchase a voting machine company?

Why don't they start looking into that? If a Trump is involved, you know it's crooked.

[turbinetree]

13. And we have Democratic majority in the House that passed a law, that is now sitting on

Moscow Mitch's desk collecting dust, because the turtle does not want to do anything about voting or bring up the House Bill HR 1, ...................but him and the fascist libertarian republicans and the Federalist List Society A list US Supreme Court want to do things to voting..........................and upholding the bullshit gerrymandering across the country and on the Native Reservations in lets say North Dakota or even Shelby vs Holder....................

[Maxheader]

14. Suthn white bread...

I kid you not. Read several articles about who the commy bastards are targeting..And its pretty much white, lower to middle class and southern usofa...

Take no offense liberals in those areas...I feel bad you have to live with them...Like I do in kansaas...

[KatyBR]

16. Look at PA-MI-WI instead!

Trump sent his lawyers to block the recount in Michigan where he won by something like 10,000 votes. I asked at the time "What's he afraid of?"

But no -- Homeland Security is wasting their time looking into Durham whose late in the night votes basically elected a Democratic Governor.