A data breach at the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Office has resulted in the exposure of private information belonging to 58,000 voters. The breach involved an unauthorized user gaining access to and copying files containing personal identification information, including Social Security and driver’s license numbers, primarily from files used for voter registration list maintenance.
Additionally, supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer confirmed the incident and emphasized that the office’s voter registration system and ballot tabulation system, both equipped with additional security layers, were not compromised.
Approximately 58,000 individuals were affected by this illegal data breach, according to the statement released by the office. The affected individuals will be notified through letters this week, informing them about the unauthorized access to their information.
Furthermore, the breach occurred within the context of the state-mandated voter registration list maintenance process, which requires continuous review of the voter roll to ensure its accuracy and make necessary updates.
Since May 3, the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Office has been collaborating with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to investigate the criminal cyber activity behind the data breach.
The ongoing criminal investigation is being conducted with the intention of identifying the unauthorized user and bringing them to justice. At present, no further details regarding the investigation have been released to the public by the elections office.
