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Russian hackers targeted as many as 21 states
Ex-DHS head: 'We have to assume ... the Russians will be back'
DHS officials: 21 states potentially targeted by Russia hackers pre-election
(CNN)Russian
government-linked hackers potentially targeted as many as 21 states'
election systems last year, a Homeland Security official warned Congress
on Wednesday.
None of those systems were involved in vote counting, however.
DHS'
acting Director of Cyber Division of the department's Office of
Intelligence and Analysis, Samuel Liles, said that by late September the
intelligence community concluded that 21 states "were potentially
targeted by Russian government-linked cyber actors" with scanning of
Internet-connected election systems.
The comments came during a hearing of DHS and FBI cybersecurity officials before the Senate intelligence committee.
Liles
said of the 21, a small number were attempted for an intrusion
unsuccessfully, "as if someone rattled the door knob and was unable to
get in," and in a small number "they made it through the door."
But
Liles said the intelligence community concluded that a variety of
factors "made it likely that cyber manipulation of the US election
system designed to change the outcome of the US election would be
detected."
He added the community has a "very high level of confidence" in that conclusion.
A
second DHS official, Acting Director of Undersecretary, National
Protection and Programs Directorate Jeanette Manfra, backed up Liles'
testimony.
"We have evidence of ... election-related systems in 21 states were targeted," she said.
Senate
intelligence committee chairman Richard Burr asked if any evidence
votes were changed by these Russian cyber efforts, all three witnesses
-- Liles, Manfra, and FBI Assistant Director for Counterintelligence
Priestap -- all said "no sir."
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