HACK

Brian Kemp Was Told of Georgia Voter-Rolls Vulnerability Hours Before He Accused GA Dems: Report

Georgia secretary of state/GOP governor candidate was informed of massive computer vulnerabilities just before he attacked Democrats for alleged hacking.

The office of Brian Kemp—the man responsible for running Georgia’s elections as secretary of state while he’s also locked in a tight race for governor—was informed Saturday that cybersecurity experts had identified a “massive vulnerability” in the state’s voter-registration system. However, the following day, Kemp appeared to ignore those concerns and instead attacked Georgia Democrats by announcing they were under investigation for hacking, the investigative journalism outlet Who What Why reports. The vulnerabilities, Who What Why reports, would allow “anyone with minimal computer expertise” to change or cancel the registrations of millions of Georgia voters. “For such an easy and low-hanging vulnerability to exist, it gives me zero confidence in the capabilities of the system administrator, software developer, and the data custodian,” the owner of a data-security consulting firm told Who What Why. Kemp is that data custodian.

After Who What Why reported on the vulnerabilities early Sunday, Kemp’s office pivoted and launched a hacking investigation against Georgia Democrats. “While we cannot comment on the specifics of an ongoing investigation, I can confirm that the Democratic Party of Georgia is under investigation for possible cybercrimes,” said Kemp press secretary Candice Broce on Sunday. “We can also confirm that no personal data was breached and our system remains secure.” Kemp is facing off against Democrat Stacey Abrams on Nov. 6.

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