Cybersecurity
UK’s Voter Register Was Hacked. No One Noticed for 15 Months
- ‘Complex’ attack gained access to UK voters’ names, addresses
- Electoral Commission plays down likely impact on voting system
The Electoral Commission said there wasn’t a “high risk” to individuals as a result of the hack.
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Hackers were able to access UK voter registers undetected for 15 months, the Electoral Commission said, raising questions about data security even as it played down fears about the impact on elections.
“Hostile actors” could obtain the name and address of anyone in the UK who registered to vote between 2014 and 2022, as well as the names of those registered as overseas voters, the commission said Tuesday, describing it as a “complex cyber attack.” The hackers first accessed Electoral Commission systems in August 2021, but the breach was not identified until October 2022.