There are Illinois connections in Friday's indictments related to Russian hacking around the 2016 elections.
The indictment accuses Russian military intelligence of hacking the website of an unnamed state board of elections, identified only as “SBOE 1.”
"We think it’s very likely that we are ‘SBOE number 1,’” says Matt Dietrich, spokesman for the Illinois State Board of Elections.
The indictment says Russians officers allegedly stole personal information on voters, including names, addresses, and driver’s license numbers.
Dietrich says that’s what was taken in Illinois: “Based on the circumstances described in the indictment, we think it’s pretty likely that that’s us."
He says the state has come a long way toward improving cybersecurity.
“We are doing everything we possibly can to make sure that this does not happen again,” Dietrich says. Then again, “I think every entity — Sony, Target, Equifax, and so forth and so on — they’ve all felt the same way. Until it happens.”
The indictment also alleges Russian intelligence leased a computer in Illinois, and used it to store stolen documents from the Democratic National and Congressional Campaign committees.
