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Sacramento Bee Leaks 19.5 Million California Voter Records, Promptly Compromised by Hackers
Gizmodo ^ | 2/8/2018 - 12:00pm PST | Dell Cameron

Posted on 02/08/2018 2:16:36 PM PST by MeganC

Last month, a local California newspaper left more than 19 million voter records exposed online. Gizmodo confirmed this week that the records were compromised during an apparent ransomware attack.

The Sacramento Bee said in a statement that a firewall protecting its database was not restored during routine maintenance last month, leaving the 19,501,258 voter files publicly accessible. Additionally, the names, home addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers of 52,873 Sacramento Bee subscribers were compromised.

“We take this incident seriously and have begun efforts to notify each of the individuals on the contact list and to provide them resources to help guard against potential misuse of their personal contact information,” the paper said in a statement. “We are also working with the Secretary of State’s office to share with them the details of this intrusion.”

The Kromtech Security Center first discovered the data on January 31st and reviewed records from several of the exposed databases before determining who owned the data. Kromtech reached out immediately to multiple employees in the Bee’s IT department but received no response.

Gizmodo was notified about the breach on February 2nd and reached out to an executive editor at the Bee. Our email was not returned. After emailing two other members of the Bee’s editorial board on Monday—including Gary Wortel, the paper’s president and publisher—Gizmodo was contacted by a public relations director at The McClatchy Company, the Bee’s owner.

A McClatchy spokesperson said the executive editor first contacted by Gizmodo had left the paper day our email was sent.

McClatchy provided an initial statement on Tuesday, saying it had “strict protocols in place to ensure the security of our data” and that it was “aware of a ransomware attack on one of our servers that was located outside our core IT structure.” The spokesperson added: “We know that in databases apparently targeted, no personally identifiable information, as defined by the State of California, was involved.”

Below is a sample of a leaked voter record, with personal information redacted. It contains the voter’s name, phone number, address, gender, date of birth, political affiliation, among other election-related details.

(More at the link)


TOPICS: Breaking News; Crime/Corruption; Government; Politics/Elections; US: California
KEYWORDS: bee; california; hackers; hacking; localnews; records; sacramento; sacramentobee; votefraud; voter; voterrecords; voters
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Wasn't California one of the states that refused to give this same information to the Trump Administration? But here they gave it to a newspaper who leaked the whole thing online?
1 posted on 02/08/2018 2:16:37 PM PST by MeganC
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To: MeganC

And I’ll bet the Sacramento Bee claims that the Russians didn’t get those classified emails from Mrs. Bill Clinton’s unsecured server.


2 posted on 02/08/2018 2:19:44 PM PST by libertylover (Kurt Schlicter: "They wonder why they got Trump. They are why they got Trump")
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To: MeganC

Time to sue. The Sac Bee is a Dem propaganda piece anyways.


3 posted on 02/08/2018 2:19:47 PM PST by beergarden
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To: MeganC

What the hell was a newspaper doing with sensitive voter information?! Oh, that’s right. The government’s paid agents.


4 posted on 02/08/2018 2:19:49 PM PST by fwdude (History has no 'sides;' you're thinking of geometry.)
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To: MeganC

WTH>>>>????

Why does a commercial outfit, a for profit newspaper have the voter records? If they can have it, why can’t i?


5 posted on 02/08/2018 2:21:32 PM PST by Professional
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To: MeganC

Buh bye Sac Bee....


6 posted on 02/08/2018 2:22:36 PM PST by Professional
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To: MeganC

So did the Russian hack the state and deliver those 19.5 Million California Voter Records.

How in hell did the left wing Sac Bee end up with our voting records?


7 posted on 02/08/2018 2:22:41 PM PST by Grampa Dave (Never pick a fight with an angry beehive of 64+ million Trump Deplorables. You will lose!)
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To: fwdude

They would have gun permit holders if they could.


8 posted on 02/08/2018 2:22:47 PM PST by RushIsMyTeddyBear (Screw The NFL!!!!!! My family fought for the flag!)
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To: fwdude

If this is not public information (and it probably should not be), what is a newspaper doing with it?

I’ll bet R voters in CA start getting tires slashed, brick through windows, or worse.


9 posted on 02/08/2018 2:24:03 PM PST by beef
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To: MeganC

Maybe we can find out how many non-citizens voted in California.


10 posted on 02/08/2018 2:24:07 PM PST by Jess Kitting
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To: fwdude

GMTA.

That was my first reaction.

That’s what needs to be investigated. I’m more concerned about the SacBee having this info than some supposed hacker. In fact, crap like this makes me wonder if “hackers” are just a cover for things that the media are doing.


11 posted on 02/08/2018 2:24:12 PM PST by generally ( Don't be stupid. We have politicians for that.)
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To: MeganC

Maybe we can find out how many non-citizens voted in California.


12 posted on 02/08/2018 2:24:29 PM PST by Jess Kitting
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To: fwdude

What the hell was a newspaper doing with sensitive voter information?! Oh, that’s right. The government’s paid agents for the Deep State.

Attkisson: Journalists “Begging” Not To Be Told About Surveillance Abuses: “Propagandists” In Newsrooms.

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2018/02/07/attkisson_journalists_begging_not_to_be_told_about_surveillance_abuses_propagandists_in_newsrooms.html

GrampaDave: The Fakenews Whores are paid by the Deep State to be Propagandists not journalists!


13 posted on 02/08/2018 2:24:39 PM PST by Grampa Dave (Never pick a fight with an angry beehive of 64+ million Trump Deplorables. You will lose!)
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To: MeganC

So let me get this straight... The SacBee released the 19 million plus records that are available to the public??? Voter information is available to the public with a records request.


14 posted on 02/08/2018 2:24:49 PM PST by missnry (The truth will set you free ... and drive liberals crazy!)
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To: MeganC

As previous commenters have noted, there’s no reason for a local newspaper (or any newspaper) to have a database of voter registration records. I wonder why Gizmodo didn’t mention that fact in the article.


15 posted on 02/08/2018 2:25:04 PM PST by lonevoice (diagonally parked in a parallel universe)
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To: MeganC

Typical California mess. I lived there 40 years, love the state as a place, but hate the politics with a passion.


16 posted on 02/08/2018 2:25:42 PM PST by Avalon Memories ( Proud Deplorable. Proud born-in-the-USA American Dreamer.)
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To: MeganC

So what is the Sac Bee doing with 19 million voting records anyway?


17 posted on 02/08/2018 2:25:56 PM PST by Hot Tabasco (My cat is not fat, she is just big boned........)
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To: MeganC

According to the article, they were warned about this and did nothing. I think it was intentional.


18 posted on 02/08/2018 2:27:54 PM PST by beef
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To: MeganC
Kromtech reached out immediately to multiple employees in the Bee’s IT department but received no response.

They took their firewall down for "routine maintenance" - why? - and never checked to see that it was back up? For how long?

I have long felt that like doctors and lawyers, IT staff should be subject to malpractice standards. Or floggings. Or both.

19 posted on 02/08/2018 2:30:00 PM PST by Billthedrill
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To: MeganC

Were any of the records of legal voters?


20 posted on 02/08/2018 2:30:12 PM PST by BobL (I shop at Walmart...I just don't tell anyone)
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