Colorado Voting System Partial Password Leak Poses No Election Threat

Partial passwords to Colorado's voting systems were accidentally posted online, raising concerns ahead of the Nov. 5 election. The Colorado Department of State assured there is no immediate threat to election integrity. Immediate measures were taken, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has been informed.

The Colorado Department of State announced that the accidental online posting of partial passwords for the state's voting systems poses no threat to the upcoming general election scheduled for November 5. The department quickly removed the spreadsheet containing the sensitive information and addressed the situation immediately.

Officials emphasized that the posting does not compromise election security or the counting of ballots. In collaboration with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), measures were promptly enacted to respond to the incident. CISA representatives confirmed their awareness and are cooperating with Colorado authorities.

Concerns arose when over 600 passwords for voting systems in the majority of Colorado's counties were discovered online. The passwords, which were unencrypted and accessible since August, were not independently verified. Colorado election officials reiterated the layered security of the election process, including unique passwords and strict chain of custody protocols.

(With inputs from agencies.)