The FBI has found security breaches in the voter registration databases of Illinois and Arizona, according to an official of the United States.
The bureau is also now urging states to improve their computer security systems in preparation for the upcoming presidential election on Nov. 8.
The official, who wished to remain anonymous, added that investigations are underway to find out if other states have also been targeted.
The flash alert released by the FBI on Aug. 18 from the bureau's Cyber Division did not reveal the two states that were involved and the identity of the hackers. The flash alert requested for election officials to be on their guard against similar cyberattacks.
It was later determined that Russia-based hackers were behind the security breaches, which compromised the information of as many as 200,000 records of voters in Illinois.
"This is the closest we've come to tying a recent hack to the Russian government," the official that revealed the Russian connection of the hackers said.
The hack on the voter registration database of Illinois was successful, prompting the state to shut down the registration of voters in July after the 200,000 records were downloaded. Officials, however, remain confident that the records were not altered or deleted.
Meanwhile, in Arizona, the hackers attempted a security breach using malicious software but were not successful in doing so. In June, after the discovery of malware on the computer of a county election official, the state shut down its online voter registration for nine days.
There is a growing concern among United States intelligence officials that hackers, who are sponsored by Russia or other countries, may be launching an attempt to disrupt the upcoming presidential elections.
TrustedSec CEO David Kennedy said that the attacks on the voter registration databases appear exploratory and not sophisticated, which means that they could be precursors to a more damaging and widespread cyberattack.
Another concern is that the Russian government may be looking to sow uncertainty in the process of the presidential election. While two United States officials said there is no definite conclusion that Russia is attempting to do so, the worry is real.
The officials said the Russians have long been involved in cyber espionage, with their targets being people in the political scene. Is Russia now expanding its cyber operations toward the goal of destabilizing the political process of the United States?
Just last week, it was reported that Russian hackers also attempted to breach the Moscow bureau of the New York Times. Intelligence officials believe that the cyberattack was part of a wider goal of acquiring information from non-governmental organizations with connections to the United States political system.
