ATLANTA — An investigation was launched after a suspected ransomware attack on Hall County that has affected a number of county systems, including parts of its election network.
As the FBI and national intelligence warn voters of possible attempts to interfere in the election, Hall County could represent the first ransomware attack on election infrastructure in the U.S.
A county spokeswoman says they're working to fix the issues, which CNN reports have affected its voter database and a voting precinct map on the county website. They stress though that “the voting process for our citizens has not been impacted due to the network issues.”
The news organization also reported the attack did not appear to specifically target Hall County's election operations, with other county systems such as phone and email affected.
"We are currently bringing various programs back online," the spokeswoman told CNN.
There's been no indication the Hall County attack is tied to foreign interference, but officials have warned that "foreign adversaries are intent on trying to influence our elections," as acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said.
Ransomware is a type of malicious program hackers use to take over a system and lock it until, as the name suggests, a ransom is paid. They often ask for Bitcoin.
An analyst described the ransomware attack on Hall County as "first incident that I'm aware of which has directly impacted election-related infrastructure" in the country.