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Update: Russian Election Hackers Mistakenly Targeted Wrong WI Agency

DARREN HAUCK/GETTY IMAGES
Voters wait in line at the polls to cast their ballot in the national election at Cannon Pavilion on November 8, 2016 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission says Russians, who wanted to hack into the state voter registration database, appear to have mistakenly tried to get into state Department of Workforce Development records.

Last Friday, state elections officials said they were told by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that the hackers targeted Wisconsin's election system, as well as systems in 20 other states. DHS said the hacking attempt was not successful.

Original post, September 22:

Federal officials say Russian hackers unsuccessfully targeted Wisconsin’s voter registration system during last year’s election.  Wisconsin was one of 21 states notified Friday of the attempted hacking, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The disclosure comes as a special counsel probes whether there was any coordination between Russia and associates of Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Trump won in Wisconsin over Democrat Hillary Clinton. The state election commission confirmed Trump's victory with a recount that wrapped up in mid-December.

DHS told state officials that Russian hackers scanned Wisconsin’s internet-connected election infrastructure, likely seeking specific vulnerabilities such as access to voter registration databases.

Wisconsin Elections Commission administrator Michael Haas says the attempted hack had no effect on the state’s systems or the outcome of the election.

Haas added that he is seeking more information from Homeland Security. 

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