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Sunday, April 03, 2016

Elections Can And Have Been Hacked

"For eight years, Andres Sepulveda, now 31, says he traveled the continent rigging major political campaigns..." writes Bloomberg, citing elections in Nicaragua, Panama, Honduras, El Salvador, Colombia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Venezuela.


 Sepulveda says he was bankrolled by a political consultant in Miami, and his services involved everything from phone tapping and cracking donor databases to managing thousands of fake Twitter profiles.

 While Sepulveda wasn't always successful, in 2012, "He led a team of hackers that stole campaign
strategies, manipulated social media to create false waves of enthusiasm and derision, and installed spyware in opposition offices, all to help Pena Nieto, a right-of-center candidate, eke out a victory."

Now serving 10 years in prison in Colombia, Sepulveda is telling his story in hopes of a reduced sentence - and to warn the public that hackers are affecting modern elections, and that specialized skills will be need to stop them.

"On the question of whether the U.S. presidential campaign is being tampered with, he is unequivocal.

'I'm 100 percent sure it is'."

***

CitizensForTrump.com and the Trump Hotel Collection site reportedly went offline Friday, seeming to confirm threats made by the hacktivist collective Anonymous.


 But TechInsider is reporting that "The 'total war' that Anonymous declared earlier this month against Donald Trump has devolved into a war among hackers fighting within the group and pro-Trump supporters who are trolling them within their chat rooms."

 They describe two warring factions within the group's anti-Trump movement, also quoting CloudFlare's CEO as saying denial of service attacks "are sort of the functional equivalent of a caveman with a club."

But while Trump has warned that law enforcement officials are pursuing the attackers, one
Anonymous member unequivocally announced that still more attacks were planned.

 "This is NOT the last time you hear of this operation.

We will be watching, and will act when the time is right."

***
 PHOENIX — Less than a month after publicly declaring ballot harvesting an opportunity for fraud, Secretary of State Michele Reagan offered to do just that for staffers at the governor’s office.

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