Kennesaw State University officials received a warning before the presidential election that a server system used by its election center may be vulnerable to a data breach. But they only notified state officials that they could have a problem after a second contact from a potential hacker raised alarms about the security of millions of Georgia voter records, according to top state officials briefed on the issue but not authorized to speak on the record. It is not clear whether the university acted to address the potential problem identified by the hacker last fall, those officials said. KSU hasn’t publicly discussed the alleged breach, citing an open investigation. It is also not clear the hacker had any ill intent and ever actually accessed the records, which the university keeps on behalf of the state as part of its Center for Election Systems.
But those officials said the second contact about the apparent vulnerabilities appears to be from the same person, which is what led to a federal investigation now underway involving the center.
The university through a spokeswoman declined to comment Tuesday, saying officials did not want to do anything to impede the inquiry’s progress. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office also declined to comment.
A spokeswoman for Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, who is said to have been furious at university officials for not telling his office about the contacts before this month, said he has confidence in how the presidential election was run and that additional data checks by the office confirm the election’s results.
Full Article: Prior to suspected breach, KSU voting center received warning.