Deadly Russian Assault on Odesa Sparks Mourning, Allegations of War Crimes
Tragedy struck the Ukrainian port city of Odesa as Russia unleashed a devastating assault, claiming the lives of five people and leaving over 30 injured
Wisconsin, Ohio, California and 10 other states said on Friday they were among 21 states that Russian government hackers targeted in an effort to sway the 2016 presidential election in favor of Donald Trump though no votes were changed.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed it had notified the states of the activity but declined to identify them. Russia has denied election meddling, and President Trump has denied any collusion with Russia.
Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Minnesota, Texas and Washington state also confirmed they were targeted by Russian hackers but said they were not successful. Arizona and Illinois confirmed last year that they were targets.
The Associated Press confirmed Iowa, Maryland, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Oregon, Oklahoma and Virginia were also targets, bringing the total states identified to 21. Those states did not immediately return messages seeking comment late Friday.
“There remains no evidence that the Russians altered one vote or changed one registration,” said Judd Choate, president of the U.S. National Association of State Election Directors.
Homeland Security officials have said that in most of the 21 states only preliminary activity was observed from hackers and a small number of networks were compromised. Some states had complained in June they had no idea if Russians had attempted to infiltrate their systems.
California Secretary of State Alex Padilla said Friday that hackers had scanned state election systems but not breached the system. “It is completely unacceptable that it has taken DHS over a year to inform our office of Russian scanning of our systems, despite our repeated requests for information,” he said.
Homeland Security spokesman Scott McConnell said in a statement the government believes “officials should be kept informed about cybersecurity risks to election infrastructure” but also wants to protect “the integrity of investigations and the confidentiality of system owners.”
U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded the Kremlin orchestrated an operation that included hacking and online propaganda intended to help Trump win, Reuters reported in August.
Senator Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat who co-chairs the Senate Cybersecurity Caucus, said Friday in a statement it is “unacceptable that it took almost a year after the election to notify states that their elections systems were targeted.”
We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!
Bulgarian customs officials intercepted a clandestine smuggling operation involving over 3,000 packs of cigarettes ingeniously concealed within loaves of bread near the Danube Bridge in Vidin
The Varna Court of Appeal has upheld a life sentence for the horrific murder of Silvia S., a woman from the Shumen village of Chernoglavtsi, marking a tragic end to a story of domestic violence that gripped the nation
Bulgarian journalist Dimitar Stoyanov finds himself embroiled in controversy after being detained by authorities for 24 hours on charges of hooliganism and threatening behavior with a weapon
In Bulgaria, a stark reality persists regarding domestic violence, as highlighted by Assoc. Dr. Aleksey Pamporov from the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Bulgarian authorities found themselves grappling with a peculiar case involving a 60-year-old Ukrainian woman
In a pioneering initiative to address road safety, a new campaign will see road offenders receiving letters from relatives of those who lost their lives in accidents
UN Happiness Report: Bulgaria's Astonishing Leap in Rankings
Bulgaria: 3 Regions With Lowest Life Expectancy - EU Report 2022