Cyber Incident Victim: Georgia Secretary of State
Date:
Oct 2024
Location:
United States of America
Summary
The Georgia Secretary of State's office repelled a coordinated cyberattack targeting its absentee voting website, which involved over 420,000 global access attempts aimed at crashing the system. Security teams detected and mitigated the attack swiftly after identifying unusual traffic spikes, with assistance from federal cybersecurity partners. While the origin remains under investigation, officials suggested potential foreign involvement. The incident did not disrupt election operations, and the office emphasized its systems remained secure throughout the attempt.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 2 motives | 1 technique |
| Threat Actors | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 0 actors | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
The Georgia Secretary of State's office detected and repelled a coordinated cyberattack targeting its absentee voting website on October 14, 2024. Agency officials identified the incident after observing an abnormal surge in attempted accesses to the site, with over 420,000 malicious attempts originating from global sources in what they characterized as a deliberate effort to crash the system. Security personnel quickly mitigated the attack, preventing any successful disruption to election operations. Chief Operating Officer Gabriel Sterling publicly confirmed the incident through social media posts on October 15, praising the cybersecurity team's rapid detection and response while emphasizing ongoing efforts to protect voting systems. The office acknowledged it had not yet attributed responsibility for the attack but indicated foreign state actors could potentially be involved.
Following the incident, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) collaborated with state officials to address residual impacts, though the FBI declined to comment on its potential involvement. The attempted breach occurred one day before Georgia's early voting period commenced on October 15, during which the state reported record-breaking voter participation. More than 310,000 ballots were cast on the first day of early voting—more than double the 136,739 ballots recorded on the first day of the 2020 election cycle. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger noted this unprecedented turnout during a national television interview, highlighting that approximately 1.4 million Georgians had already voted early or via absentee ballot by mid-October. The office maintained that election systems remained secure throughout both the cyber incident and the subsequent voting period.