Russians probably targeted election systems in all 50 states, Senate panel's report says

[pnwmom]

Source: WA Post

The Senate Intelligence Committee, in a new report on Russia's interference in the 2016 election, said Thursday that systems in all 50 states were probably targeted in some manner, that the federal government fell short in warning about the threat and that vulnerability persists heading into the 2020 campaign.

The panel's investigation found that Russia's 2016 interference began as early as 2014 and continued into at least 2017, and it echoed findings from other federal officials who have said there is no evidence that any votes were changed or that any voting machines were compromised.

Notably, though, the heavily redacted report says U.S. officials believed that Russians probably "scanned" systems in every state -- including activity such as basic research on "election-related web pages, voter ID information, election system software, and election service companies." The Department of Homeland Security disclosed two years ago that Russian government hackers had targeted 21 states during the 2016 election cycle.


The Intelligence Committee found that, leading up the election, the federal government's communication with the states about the nature and seriousness of the threat was unsatisfactory. It encouraged DHS to improve its coordination with state election officials -- while stating firmly that states would remain in the lead on running elections.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/senate-intelligence-panel-releases-first-chapter-of-bipartisan-report-into-russian-meddling/2019/07/25/63bce4f4-af0c-11e9-bc5c-e73b603e7f38_story.html?utm_term=.b02146170416

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A report issued in May 2018 said that the Russians had targeted systems in 21 states.

Now, they're saying all 50.

[Blue_Tires]

1. As always, Greenwald and Snowden were unavailable for comment...

Are they even still alive anymore??

[Blue_Tires]

2. Oh and someone needs to fucking tattoo this story

to Matt Motherfucking Taibbi's ugly-assed forehead...

[cstanleytech]

3. Which could be why certain Repugnants like Mitch have done nothing.

After all you would hardly attack someone if you knew they were held you.

[iluvtennis]

10. Indeed.

[bucolic_frolic]

4. Minds were targeted

and surely some were changed.

I receive campaign literature, mostlly from my state Democratic party, County committee, and regional Democratic campaigns.

Rarely, a couple presidential elections past, I received a GOP mailer from the County Republican party.

In 2016, about 5 days before the election, I received an NRA flier that trashed HRC with a distorted photo and something about her coming for your guns. I wish I'd saved it, but I tore it up on the spot.

I have NO IDEA how the NRA got my PO Box address. Haven't heard from them before, or since.

[iluvtennis]

9. Wow, unbelievable.

[Qutzupalotl]

5. Makes you wonder why they were scanning our voting systems

if they weren’t up to something.

We keep hearing “no evidence” of changed votes, which I can accept, but why would Russia go to all the trouble of gaining the capability of changing voter roll data — for nothing? The report says they’re less certain that voter rolls were not tampered with. That leads me to suspect that’s exactly how 2016 was stolen. If I were a foreign power intent on disruption, that’s how I’d do it.

I think changing cast votes or totals is pretty difficult under our system because of the distribution of local tallies. But altering addresses in a state’s database? Piece of cake. Voter shows up, can’t vote. Or casts a vote which does not count. Either way, the desired result is achieved with minimal effort.

[bucolic_frolic]

6. Ding Ding Ding! Bingo!

There's that, plus mind manipulation in social media. It wasn't about issues, it was about undermining voters' commitment to their parties and candidates by sewing doubt. Gaslighting. Talking about HRC as pretty good, or nice, but you know there is that position she has on such and such. It's a real alarm bell.

And who knows how friends and families were manipulated. Infiltrated with opinion leaders.

[LiberalLovinLug]

7. I find it absolutely astounding how the R Senate can get away with doing nothing about it.

Especially since they were the beneficiaries of the interference. That takes some balls. Well it doesn't take a lot of balls if the Democrats and the MSM don't care much either if Trump cheats his way back in. Mitches refusal to protect the American democracy and the sacred vote, should have, if not the MSM news, then Democrats screaming mad and demanding to be put onto news shows to warn the public.

I can only surmise that Democrats also use a kind of Cambridge system to target voters and don't want their own systems brought down either. That they think they are the smartest people in the room, and it can't happen again. I'm only guessing here. I'm baffled.

[BigmanPigman]

8. And only 31 states have paper ballots and a secure system?!?

Last edited Fri Jul 26, 2019, 01:35 AM - Edit history (1)

[ancianita]

11. ++++++++++++++++++++ We're not even that secure, either.

[Judi Lynn]

12. Russia Targeted Elections Systems in All 50 States, Report Finds

David E. Sanger and Catie Edmondson 6 hrs ago

WASHINGTON — The Senate Intelligence Committee concluded Thursday that election systems in all 50 states were targeted by Russia in 2016, an effort more far-reaching than previously acknowledged and one largely undetected by the states and federal officials at the time.

But while the bipartisan report’s warning that the United States remains vulnerable in the next election is clear, its findings were so heavily redacted at the insistence of American intelligence agencies that even some key recommendations for 2020 were blacked out.

The report — the first volume of several to be released from the committee’s investigation into Russia’s 2016 election interference — came 24 hours after the former special counsel Robert S. Mueller III warned that Russia was moving again to interfere “as we sit here.”

While details of many of the hackings directed by Russian intelligence, particularly in Illinois and Arizona, are well known, the committee described “an unprecedented level of activity against state election infrastructure” intended largely to search for vulnerabilities in the security of the election systems.

More:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/russia-targeted-elections-systems-in-all-50-states-report-finds/ar-AAESxno?li=BBnb7Kz

[Blues Heron]

13. federal officials who have said there is no evidence that any votes were changed or that any voting

Did they audit the machines?

No of course not. If you don't look for evidence, you probably won't find it.

Something stinks to high heaven with these windows based voting machines. With modems, wifi, With internet connectictivity. With un-patched ancient software. Corporate proprietary software that CAN"T BE EXAMINED. What a joke.

Nothing to see here folks, move along.

[Botany]

14. Can we all now stop saying how "Trump won the election."

The exit polls were not wrong. Hillary won the election as did many democrats
across the country such as Russ Feingold in Wisconsin who was @ > 90% chance
of winning.

Putin didn't do all that work just to have "a look around" and not manipulate the
outcome.

[Wuddles440]

15. This is why....

the Orange Anus is so confident that he will win in a landslide next year - he's already received assurances from Putin, McTurtle, and company that he will prevail. The fix is in folks.