US: Chinese government hackers targeting state political parties, says FBI

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has warned that hackers aligned with the Chinese government are eyeing the country’s state parties for vulnerabilities in the lead-up to the midterm races. The warning comes as part of the agency’s efforts to inform potential victims and increase security.

According to a report by the Washington Post, Chinese government hackers are looking into the domains of state parties for signs of vulnerability. So far, none of the potential targets have been breached or hacked into.

FBI agents last week in the field offices nationwide informed some Republican and Democratic state party headquarters that they may be targets of Chinese government hackers, according to party and US officials familiar with the matter.

“The FBI is being considerably more proactive,” said one senior US official. “It’s part of a larger move that the FBI isn’t waiting for the attack to occur. They’re increasingly trying to prevent.”

The official added that network scanning is part of a broader campaign by the Chinese government hackers “to seek potential victims.”

In recent days, the FBI visited a dozen Republican Party headquarters. Republican National Committee spokesperson Emma Vaughn said in an email to the Post that the RNC websites are secure and have not been breached.

“Cybersecurity remains a top priority for the entire Republican ecosystem, which is why we place a premium on ensuring our stakeholders have the necessary tools, resources, and training on best practices so that our Party remains protected and vigilant,” said Vaughn.

A Democratic National Committee official said that agents also informed several Democratic state parties in recent days and that there has been no evidence so far that any of its systems were compromised.

Last week, several Democratic Senators raised concerns over the lack of election workers ahead of the midterms, citing threats and harassment as the challenges posed in recruiting staff.

13 Democratic and two Independent Senators wrote a letter to the US Election Assistance Commission back on October 6, calling for the agency to ramp up efforts to support states in recruiting workers needed to help run the midterm elections that would take place in November.