Cyberattack on Coffee County Voter Registration System in Georgia

Georgia’s Coffee County Suffers Cyberattack on Voter Registration System

In a recent development, Georgia’s Coffee County faced a cyberattack that prompted the county to disconnect from the state’s voter registration system as a precautionary measure. Sources familiar with the matter revealed to CNN that the incident was believed to be a ransomware attack, where cybercriminals lock computer systems and demand a ransom.

The federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) notified the county of the cyberattack on April 15, and both federal and county officials are working to identify the perpetrators behind the hack. A spokesperson for the office of Georgia’s secretary of state confirmed the incident and the county’s response.

Coffee County, home to approximately 43,000 residents in southeastern Georgia, was previously in the spotlight due to efforts by supporters of former President Donald Trump to overturn the 2020 election. In January 2021, a team of pro-Trump operatives breached Coffee County’s election office in an attempt to find data to support their false claims of election fraud.

Despite the cyberattack, there was no indication that the state’s voter registration system, known as GARViS, was compromised. Coffee County officials have since reconnected to the voter registration system using backup laptops and isolated cellular networks.

Ransomware attacks have been a growing concern for state and local governments across the US, with Georgia experiencing similar incidents in the past. Fulton County, which includes Atlanta, suffered a ransomware attack earlier this year that disrupted county operations but did not impact the election process.

Federal officials have expressed worries about ransomware attacks targeting election infrastructure, with US Cyber Command conducting operations against ransomware criminals to safeguard voting systems. The incident in Coffee County serves as a reminder of the ongoing cybersecurity threats faced by local governments and the importance of protecting election systems from malicious actors.