Hillsborough County elections official says network was 'illegally breached' | Tampa Bay News | Tampa | Creative Loafing Tampa Bay
Hillsborough County elections official says network was 'illegally breached'
Officials emphasized that the perpetrator did not have access to the voter registration system or the ballot tabulation system.
By Colin Wolf on Wed, May 3, 2023 at 3:01 pm
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Hillsborough County elections official says network was 'illegally breached'
Photo via Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections/Facebook
Less than a week after the 2023 Tampa Municipal Runoff Election results were officially certified, local officials are now saying a server at the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Office was "illegally breached."
In a statement released Wednesday afternoon, Hillsborough County Elections Supervisor Craig Latimer stated that the breach did not interfere with the recent elections, and that the office is currently working with local and state authorities on the matter.
"We learned that an unauthorized user illegally accessed files on a shared drive on our network and we immediately notified federal, state and local law enforcement partners, including the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the FBI, MS-ISAC, the Florida Department of State, and the cybersecurity division of Hillsborough County's Information and Innovation Office, " said Latimer.
While Latimer did not specify on exactly what files were accessed or when the "cyber incident" occured, the supervisor emphasized that the perpetrator did not have access to the voter registration system or the ballot tabulation system.
"Our voter registration system has multiple layers of protection, monitoring and redundancy," said Latimer. "Our tabulation system does too, and uses a stand-alone, air gapped server that is not connected to anything else. That server has not been compromised in any way."
When pressed for more information, Communications Manager Gerri Kramer told Creative Loading Tampa Bay that the incident is currently an "active criminal investigation," and the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Office cannot share any more details at this time.
"Addressing this issue is my top priority right now, and I am proud to be working alongside law enforcement partners and cyber technology experts who understand and respect the seriousness of this incident," continued Latimer.
"I look forward to providing further information once the investigation concludes. Elections are critical infrastructure, and any attack on our office - even one that does not interfere with the conduct of an election - is an attack on our community and our democracy."
Officials emphasized that the perpetrator did not have access to the voter registration system or the ballot tabulation system.
By Colin Wolf on Wed, May 3, 2023 at 3:01 pm
SEND A NEWS TIP
Share on Nextdoor
Hillsborough County elections official says network was 'illegally breached'
Photo via Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections/Facebook
Less than a week after the 2023 Tampa Municipal Runoff Election results were officially certified, local officials are now saying a server at the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Office was "illegally breached."
In a statement released Wednesday afternoon, Hillsborough County Elections Supervisor Craig Latimer stated that the breach did not interfere with the recent elections, and that the office is currently working with local and state authorities on the matter.
"We learned that an unauthorized user illegally accessed files on a shared drive on our network and we immediately notified federal, state and local law enforcement partners, including the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the FBI, MS-ISAC, the Florida Department of State, and the cybersecurity division of Hillsborough County's Information and Innovation Office, " said Latimer.
While Latimer did not specify on exactly what files were accessed or when the "cyber incident" occured, the supervisor emphasized that the perpetrator did not have access to the voter registration system or the ballot tabulation system.
"Our voter registration system has multiple layers of protection, monitoring and redundancy," said Latimer. "Our tabulation system does too, and uses a stand-alone, air gapped server that is not connected to anything else. That server has not been compromised in any way."
When pressed for more information, Communications Manager Gerri Kramer told Creative Loading Tampa Bay that the incident is currently an "active criminal investigation," and the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Office cannot share any more details at this time.
"Addressing this issue is my top priority right now, and I am proud to be working alongside law enforcement partners and cyber technology experts who understand and respect the seriousness of this incident," continued Latimer.
"I look forward to providing further information once the investigation concludes. Elections are critical infrastructure, and any attack on our office - even one that does not interfere with the conduct of an election - is an attack on our community and our democracy."
