UK voters’ details have been exposed to hostile actors as the Electoral Commission admits it has been hit by a cyber-attack
The commission said the attack was first identified in October last year and it has worked with security experts and the National Cyber Security Centre to secure its systems.
Shaun McNally, the Electoral Commission Chief Executive, has said the organisation regrets that sufficient protections were not in place to prevent the cyber-attack.As part of the attack, those responsible were able to access reference copies of the electoral registers, held by the Commission for research purposes and to enable permissibility checks on political donations.
The registers held at the time of the cyber-attack include the name and address of anyone in the UK who was registered to vote between 2014 and 2022, as well as the names of those registered as overseas voters. The registers did not include the details of those registered anonymously. The Commission’s email system was also accessible during the attack.
In a statement published on social media, it said: “Hostile actors were active in our systems and had access to servers which held our email, control systems, and copies of the electoral registers. We have since worked with external security experts and the National Cyber Security Centre to investigate and secure our systems.”
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Elections watchdog reveals it was hit by cyber attackThe Electoral Commission said 'hostile actors' first gained access to its systems in August 2021.
Read more »
7 great new horror movies streaming on Netflix, Prime Video, Shudder and more in August 2023From Saw to Skinamarink, some seriously tense stuff has just landed on the biggest streaming services
Read more »
All Glasgow's road closures for Monday, August 7 for the UCI Cycling ChampionshipsHere are all the road closures you can expect in Glasgow for the UCI Cycling World Championships 2023 today, Monday, August 7.
Read more »
What does August's rare super blue moon mean for your star sign?It’s big, it’s bright and it’s bringing closure 🌕
Read more »
Glasgow pub goers could win £10,000 prize for ordering a pint this AugustOne lucky beer drinker who purchase a pint or bottle of Ice Breaker Pale Ale. will be in with a chance to get their hands on a £10,000 prize this month if they visit participating pubs.
Read more »
Popular Xbox games — August 6, 2023Our latest Gameplay Chart of popular Xbox games sees Halo Infinite back in the top 15 while Exoprimal falls and older titles re-join the top 40.
Read more »