FBI: Foreign hackers broke into state election systems

Hackers based outside the United States have broken into two state election databases in recent weeks, according to a report from Yahoo News, which on Monday revealed a "flash" alert sent earlier this month by the FBI's Cyber Division.

The bulletin reported that the FBI had received information about separate IP addresses attempting to hack into two different states' Board of Election websites. The document itself does not disclose which states were affected, although Yahoo News' Michael Isikoff cited "sources familiar with the document" as saying they are Arizona and Illinois. Yahoo reported that the Illinois hacking was more serious, forcing officials to shut down the voter registration system for 10 days in July, while the Arizona intrusion did not appear to be as successful.

"The FBI is requesting that states contact their Board of Elections and determine if any similar activity to their logs, both inbound and outbound, has been detected. Attempts should not be made to touch or ping the IP addresses directly," the bulletin recommended.

The news comes amid increased concerns about the potential for cyberintrusion into the general election, as well as Republican nominee Donald Trump's warning that the process could be "rigged" against him. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson briefed state officials earlier this month, offering federal resources to help state officials scan their systems for vulnerabilities.