The Department of Homeland Security says it has identified and thwarted a growing number of threats to election databases nationwide, and is working to identify the origin of the attempted hacks, according to a Monday NBC News report.
“Numerous actors are regularly targeting election infrastructure, likely for different purposes, including to cause disruptive effects, steal sensitive data, and undermine confidence in the election,” said an intelligence assessment obtained by NBC News.
Though it is not yet clear who or what is behind the attacks, the DHS is also keeping tabs on Russia and China.
Russia is reportedly trying to disrupt the midterms in a less aggressive way than it did the 2016 presidential election, limiting itself to trying to trick voters with false information from hackers posing as Americans.
Per NBC News, China is sticking to more traditional propaganda to sway American minds, though DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen says she has not seen any Chinese attempts to “compromise election infrastructure.”
