Hackers target US FEC system, disrupting campaign finance disclosures days before midterms

Hackers have compromised the US Federal Election Commission's (FEC) website, disrupting the agency's electronic filings system a week before the November 3 elections. This incident comes as super PACs and dark money groups are spending record amounts in the final days of the races, with the midterms set to be the most expensive US election in history.

The FEC stated that its electronic filing system is currently offline and that its IT staff are actively working to restore service. Users can still search past reports on the website, but they cannot file 24-hour and 48-hour spending reports, which are crucial for tracking political group spending during the election. The breach is believed to be the work of a malicious actor, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the FBI have been notified.

The midterms are already witnessing unprecedented spending, with super PACs and dark money groups spending an average of over $50 million per day over the past week alone.