Charles Booker says his campaign was targeted by foreign hackers

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Charles Booker’s U.S. Senate campaign team in Kentucky says it was recently the target of a cyberattack.

According to a release by his campaign, “Overseas hackers attempted to gain access to the campaign communication systems of both the candidate and campaign leadership, as well as the campaign’s website. It appears hackers also gained access to at least one staffer’s Signal account at some point in the past couple of months.”

The release further states the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other law enforcement agencies are involved, and appropriate steps have been taken to secure the campaign’s systems and private data.

This news follows a recent attack on the Federal Election Commission, one that temporarily disrupted its online filing system, according to the release.

Booker’s campaign team further stated:

“As we have seen during the past several election cycles, foreign adversaries, including Russian actors, have ramped up efforts to infiltrate and attack critical campaign and election systems to sow chaos and mistrust in election security. It’s something the current administration has also encouraged, further threatening confidence in our elections, something fundamental to a flourishing democracy.”

“The fact that foreign actors attempted to hack and infiltrate our campaign systems so close to the election is only proof that we’re in a position to win. Our enemies, both domestic and abroad, don’t want to see this campaign succeed and are scared. These types of desperate measures will not stop our campaign for the people of Kentucky,” said Booker. “We’re pleased that these threats have been neutralized, and we remain on track to continue at full throttle ahead of Election Day.”