Data Breach at Alaskan Online Voter Registration System Exposes Personal Info of Over 100,000 Voters

A cyberattack on the Online Voter Registration System of the state of Alaska exposed the personal information of 113,000 potential voters, the Governor”s Office announced last Thursday.

According to a press release, the attack took place in early September, and was discovered on October 27, 2020.

“Since the discovery, Division staff, working with the State Security Office, our vendors, and law enforcement, and a computer forensics firm have worked to determine the scope of the problem, secure databases and web applications, comply with state law regarding exposure of personal information records, and assist law enforcement with any investigation as needed,” the official statement reads.

A summary of the state”s preliminary investigation determined that the attackers exploited a vulnerability, allowing them to exfiltrate voter information such as names, date of birth, driver”s license, or state identification number, last four digits of Social Security numbers, residence, mailing addresses and party affiliation.

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“At this time, the Online Voter Registration System website is secure, fully functional, and the flaw has been remedied,” the Office of Lieutenant Governor Meyer added. “The preliminary investigation indicates that although outside actors accessed voter registration information, the purpose of the unlawful access was to spread propaganda and shake voter confidence—not to impact the election results. The Division of Elections firmly believes the integrity of the 2020 voting process was not compromised.”

Although there is currently no evidence that the stolen data has been used “for anything other than propaganda,” voters with exposed personal information have been notified and provided a year of credit and ID monitoring free of charge.