Local
A hack in Georgia’s election system
The FBI has begun an investigation into an alleged data breach at the Kennesaw State University Center for Election Systems. According to The AJC, up to 7.5 million voter records may have been compromised. The center is unique in the United States, creating every ballot for every vote in every district of Georgia, unlike other states where systems are more evenly distributed. This makes the center a more tempting target for breaches, though more highly secured. Georgia and Kennesaw State officials involved have declined to comment because the investigation is ongoing, though data security expert Tony Uceda Velez told AJC that he is “sure they’re doing the necessary steps.”
National
Wikileaks releases CIA Documents
According to NY Times, WikiLeaks has released a trove of CIA documents that extensively detail CIA techniques and tools used for surveillance, the largest leak the CIA has ever experienced. WikiLeaks has said that the CIA can hack into common smartphones, and that the CIA has “lost control of the majority of its hacking arsenal.” “Once a single cyber ‘weapon’ is ‘loose’ it can spread around the world in seconds, to be used by rival states, cyber mafia and teenage hackers alike,” as stated in a WikiLeaks press release. This is only the first in a series of upcoming WikiLeaks releases on the CIA, a series the organization has titled “Vault 7.”
Global
South Korean president impeached from office
The president of South Korea has been officially impeached from office following an extensive corruption scandal. Former President Park Geun-hye, while not yet indicted due to laws preventing such action until she had left office, is likely to be charged with the extortion of tens of millions of dollars from various businesses, including Samsung, according to NY Times. Her powers have been suspended since December, and an eight-way unanimous vote by South Korea’s Constitutional Court has ruled that Park “violated the Constitution and laws” of South Korea while in office. Park was elected in 2012 and is the first president in the history of South Korea to be impeached.
