The D.C. Board of Elections is presently dealing with the effects of a data breach or hack that took place last month and agency officials assure registered voters that their information is safe.
Indication of a data breach came to the attention of board of election (DCBOE) officials on Oct. 5. The officials learned that a hacking group, known as RansomVC claimed to have breached DCBOE’s records and accessed 600,000 lines of U.S. voter data, including District voter records. On Oct. 16, it was revealed that the records were from Aug. 9, 2019, to Jan. 25, 2022, and had information from voters who participated in the agency’s canvass process, which takes place every odd-numbered year to ensure the voter roll is timely. Less than 4,000 voter records were affected, agency officials said.
According to social media posts by the elections board, on Oct. 20, agency officials confirmed that during a daily morning check-in call with DataNet Systems — a managed service provider based in Austin, Texas — that a copy of the company’s database server containing the District’s voter roll had been breached. DataNet Systems said bad actors may have had access to the full voter roll which includes personal identifiable information including partial Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, dates of birth, and contact information such as phone numbers and email addresses. Agency officials said the company could not pinpoint if or when the file may have been assessed or how many, if any, voter records were accessed. However, officials stress that no internal DCBOE databases or servers were compromised.
The breach has occurred as the agency prepares for the 2024 election cycle in which the District will hold presidential, congressional, city council, advisory neighborhood commission and initiative contests.
The primaries are scheduled to take place on June 4, 2024, for the city’s registered political parties and the general election will occur on Nov. 5.
What Happens Now?
In social media posts, agency officials said they are reaching out to all registered voters out of abundance of caution. The election board has been consulting with Mandiant, a cybersecurity firm and subsidiary of Google based in Reston, Virginia to assist with next steps. Nick Jacobs, a spokesperson with the elections board told the Informer “that all of our efforts are ongoing,” as of Oct. 30.
“This remains an active and open investigation,” social media posts said. “DCBOE will release its full findings when they are available. DCBOE is committed to full transparency with the public and will contact D.C. voters about next steps.”
While the investigation continues, agency officials encourage residents to continue monitoring the social media posts for updates. Additionally, for updates, Jacobs said residents may email inquiries to questions@dcboe.org. He also said voter registration remains open for residents and it is safe to register.
Well, congratulations DC board of elections and data net systems. All my credit cards have been hacked within the last week I assume because of this yes I know you’re very sorry for the inconvenience. Not good enough – do better.