Federal Election Commission’s (FEC) Electronic Filing System Shut Down Amid Hacking Attempt

Late Monday night, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) took its web-facing electronic filing system offline after an email indicated a “bad actor” was attempting to breach the network. The shutdown began around 10 p.m. ET and persisted through Tuesday, preventing campaigns, parties and political action committees from submitting the 24-hour and 48-hour spending disclosures required in the final days before the midterm elections on November 3. The agency’s public search function for previously filed reports remained operational.

Newsweek

The FEC does not run elections but monitors and enforces federal campaign-finance law, collecting disclosures that reveal how money flows in competitive races. Campaign spending has surged in the closing weeks of the cycle: more than $1 billion was spent in the first two weeks of October, according to FEC records cited by news outlets. Senate Democrats’ super-PAC reported the highest single contribution at $109 million, while President Donald Trump’s three principal political organizations together spent over $100 million. The primary Republican Senate super-PAC disclosed roughly $86 million in expenditures.

Forbes

FEC deputy press officer Myles Martin confirmed that the electronic filing system was offline and that IT staff were actively working to restore service. He noted that the agency’s website search for existing reports was unaffected and that no comment could be offered on whether a cyberattack had successfully breached the system or accessed data.

Newsweek

• “At this time, we can point to the status update posted to the FEC’s website that the electronic filing system is currently offline and our IT staff are actively working to restore service,” — Myles Martin

Newsweek

• “The website search for FEC reports is not affected,” — Myles Martin

Newsweek

• “I've never seen this in 26 years,” — Steven Mele

Newsweek