International hackers tried to limit voters in Georgia from requesting absentee ballots for the upcoming presidential election in a focused cyberattack this month, in keeping with state election officers.
The Georgia Secretary of State’s workplace mentioned on Wednesday its cyber defenses thwarted the assault after 1000’s of IP addresses from completely different international locations flooded an election web site — that enables voters within the battleground state to request their absentee ballots forward of the Nov. 5 election — with phony visitors, CNN reported.
Gabe Sterling, the chief working officer for the Georgia state workplace, which oversees elections, believes the assault got here from a international nation, explaining it had “the hallmarks of a international energy or international entity [acting] on the behest of a international energy.”
“From speaking to specialists, it felt like a probing assault, saying, ‘Hey, if we do that, what’s going to they do in response?’” Sterling mentioned.
The supply of the breach has not but been confirmed by federal officers, in keeping with CNN.
The assault — which didn’t disrupt voters’ potential to request their ballots — comes amid record-breaking early voter turnout within the battleground state.
Early voting started in Georgia on Oct. 15.
“It slowed our programs down for a little bit bit, but it surely by no means stopped our programs from working,” Sterling informed CNN.
The Peach State is extensively thought of to be one of many seven essential battlegrounds within the 2024 cycle, having gone for President Biden in 2020 after backing Republicans within the earlier six presidential races.
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