By Illinois Radio Network

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois election officials are taking steps to avoid hackers getting into the state voter database, as the Russians pulled off in 2016.

The Illinois State Board of Elections along with several county clerks from central Illinois Thursday unveiled the Cyber Navigator Program.

Following the 2016 Illinois’ Voter Registration System infiltration by Russian hackers, Illinois and local election officials received a $13.2 million dollar grant through the “Help America Vote” Act.  The state matched five percent for a total of $14 million dollars to come up with ways to protect voter databases.

The 2016 hacking attack in Illinois initially was so small-bore that no one at the State Board of Elections noticed anything until nearly three weeks after it began.

The vulnerability in the 2016 system has been fully identified and solution to this risk is being implemented throughout Illinois in advance of the 2020 Elections, including activation this month in Tazewell County.

The Illinois Cyber Navigator Program is an effort to help election authorities defend against cyber breaches and detect and recover from cyber attacks.

One aspect of the program is the use of a fiber optic line to directly convey voter information from local election offices directly to the state.

The program also features a team of “Cyber Navigators” who visit election offices statewide to do a Comprehensive Risk Assessment.  That involves a review of security controls, as well as assess the likelihood and magnitude of harm that could potentially occur from hackers.

All 108 Illinois local election offices are participating in the program and should be on board in time for the March primary elections.

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