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DOJ Release 7-13-18

The Illinois State Board of Elections was the victim of a malicious cyber attack in July 2016 that breached its statewide voter registration database. Federal authorities were notified and extensive measures were taken to secure databases and web applications. An indictment issued by the U.S. Department of Justice refers to the breach of the Illinois electronic voter database in 2016. The State Board of Elections notified 76,000 Illinois voters that their registration data may have been viewed and advised them to contact authorities if suspicious activity was noticed. The State Board of Elections has cooperated with federal law enforcement and is working to enhance cybersecurity.

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6K views2 pages

DOJ Release 7-13-18

The Illinois State Board of Elections was the victim of a malicious cyber attack in July 2016 that breached its statewide voter registration database. Federal authorities were notified and extensive measures were taken to secure databases and web applications. An indictment issued by the U.S. Department of Justice refers to the breach of the Illinois electronic voter database in 2016. The State Board of Elections notified 76,000 Illinois voters that their registration data may have been viewed and advised them to contact authorities if suspicious activity was noticed. The State Board of Elections has cooperated with federal law enforcement and is working to enhance cybersecurity.

Uploaded by

Scott Fornek
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STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS

WILLIAM J. CADIGAN JOHN R. KEITH STEVEN S. SANDVOSS


Chairman Vice Chairman Executive Director

ELECTION NEWS ELECTION NEWS ELECTION NEWS


100 W. Randolph Street 2329 S. MacArthur Blvd.
Suite 14-100 Springfield, Illinois 62704
Chicago, Illinois 60601 217-782-4141
312-814-6440 www.elections.il.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: MATT DIETRICH


(217) 558-1955 mdietrich@elections.il.gov

July 13, 2018

In the summer of 2016, the Illinois State Board of Elections was the victim of a malicious cyber attack on its
statewide voter registration database.

Discovered on July 12, 2016, the intrusion was stopped immediately, with SBE staff notifying federal
authorities and setting in action extensive measures to secure its databases and web applications. (A complete
timeline of the breach and response is copied below and is available online at
https://www.elections.il.gov/downloads/abouttheboard/pdf/08_26_16agendaamended.pdf.)

Though the Illinois State Board of Elections is not mentioned specifically in the indictment issued today by the
U.S. Department of Justice, it is likely that Count 72 refers to the breach of the Illinois electronic voter database
in 2016:
In or around July 2016, KOVALEV and his co-conspirators hacked the website of a state
board of elections ("SBOE 1 ") and stole information related to approximately 500,000 voters,
including names, addresses, partial social security numbers, dates of birth, and driver's license
numbers.

In accordance with the Illinois Personal Information Protection Act and based on our analysis of the data
affected in July 2016, we notified 76,000 Illinois voters that their registration data may have been viewed and
advised them to contact the Illinois Attorney General’s Office if they noticed suspicious activity involving the
use of their voter registration information. To date, no such cases have been reported. The figure 500,000
referred to in the indictment may have been arrived at using a different methodology prescribed under federal
criminal code. As part of our review of the indictment, we will be contacting federal law enforcement to obtain
more information on the number referenced in the indictment.

The State Board of Elections has worked with the FBI and Department of Homeland Security throughout the
aftermath of the 2016 breach and is grateful that DOJ has identified perpetrators. We will fully cooperate as
necessary in the prosecution.

In addition to measures taken after the 2016 incident, the State Board of Elections currently is involved in
establishing a Cyber Navigator Program funded with a federal grant from the U.S. Election Assistance
Commission that will greatly enhance cybersecurity both at SBE and among all 108 local election jurisdictions
in Illinois.

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