Electoral Commission Admits Costly Lessons Learned After Chinese Cyberattack
The UK Electoral Commission reveals it spent over £250,000 and three years recovering from a 2021 hack that exposed 40 million voters' data, admitting serious security failures and pledging strengthened defences.
Long Recovery and Financial Impact
The UK Electoral Commission has spent over three years and at least £250,000 to recover from a 2021 cyberattack that exposed personal data of 40 million voters and allowed intruders to read all organisational emails.
CEO Vijay Rangarajan described the breach as “an enormous shock” and said the incident prompted a significant culture shift.
Series of Security Failures
Hackers exploited a vulnerability in Microsoft Exchange in August 2021 after the commission delayed applying a widely issued software patch, remaining undetected until October 2022.
- Outdated software
- Poor password practices
- Failed government security audit
- Ignored National Cyber Security Centre advice
No staff member has been publicly held accountable, and although six by-elections took place during the breach, there is no evidence they were impacted.
Strengthened Cyber Defences
The commission has since increased its cybersecurity budget, achieved Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus certifications, and implemented stricter software update and password protocols.
The breach underscored the vulnerability of democratic institutions to cyberattacks, prompting the Electoral Commission to overhaul its security practices.
This topic was reported by BBC News.
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