In a startling revelation, the UK's Electoral Commission has confirmed that it fell victim to a cyber attack, potentially compromising access to electoral registers.
The election watchdog shared that the attack, which occurred in Aug. 2021, was only discovered in October 2022. While concerns arise, The Guardian tells us that experts emphasize that the largely paper-based nature of UK elections provides a substantial hurdle for hackers seeking to manipulate voting outcomes.
Spotting the Breach
The breach came to light when the commission detected an anomalous pattern of login requests last year. Investigation revealed that hostile actors had infiltrated the commission's systems, accessing reference copies of electoral registers dating from 2014 to 2022.
This encompassed names and addresses of registered UK voters, as well as overseas voters. However, the details of anonymous voters remained untouched.
Shaun McNally, Chief Executive of the Electoral Commission, expressed regret over the incident and the initial lack of safeguards. "We have taken significant steps with the support of specialists to improve the security, resilience, and reliability of our IT systems," McNally stated, acknowledging the need for enhanced security measures.
Relieving Concerns
Crucially, the commission moved swiftly to allay concerns about the breach's impact on the democratic process. While the accessed data includes personal information, it primarily consists of names and addresses, with the risk of harm to individuals assessed to be low by the Information Commissioner's Office.
However, a critical point emerges - the potential combination of this data with other public information could allow for the inference of patterns and profiling.
The challenge lies in ascertaining the intentions behind the breach. The exact motives of the cyber attackers remain unknown, as no groups or individuals have claimed responsibility for the intrusion.
Answering the Public
An intriguing aspect is the timing of the public announcement, given that the attack took place in August 2021 but was disclosed in October 2022. The commission defended the delay in an X reply, citing the need to eliminate the threat, evaluate the extent of the breach, coordinate with security authorities, and fortify defenses before making the incident public.
Today we announced that we have been the subject of a complex cyber-attack, and our systems were accessed by hostile actors.
— Electoral Commission (@ElectoralCommUK) August 8, 2023
Addressing the concerns, a spokesperson for the Information Commissioner's Office assured the public that investigations are underway and urged those affected to stay informed through the ICO's website.
While the potential for data misuse exists, the commission says in another reply that the likelihood of it influencing the upcoming General Election remains remote.
The structure of the UK's democratic process, founded on paper documentation and manual counting, presents a formidable barrier to any cyber-attack aiming to sway results.
While the breach may not have immediate implications for the election itself, it serves as a stark reminder of the evolving threat landscape that governments must navigate to preserve the integrity of their electoral processes.
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