BlackCore, an Israeli cyber‑security company, is now under investigation for unauthorized access to voting infrastructure in New York City’s June 2024 municipal elections and Scotland’s May 2024 parliamentary vote.
US prosecutors filed a criminal complaint on June 12, alleging BlackCore breached the city’s election‑management software and exfiltrated data on 1.2 million voter records. In parallel, the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre disclosed that its cyber‑crime unit traced similar activity to the same firm, affecting roughly 850,000 Scottish voter accounts. Both inquiries cite communications intercepted between BlackCore operatives and a French lobbying group.
The cases matter because they broaden the scope of foreign‑state‑linked cyber‑espionage beyond the usual target‑of‑political‑campaign attacks. If the allegations hold, regulators may have to tighten vetting of third‑party vendors that handle election data, and lawmakers could push for new sanctions on companies facilitating such breaches.
The BlackCore saga adds to a growing list of cyber firms caught in the cross‑fire, reminding voters that digital supply chains are often the weakest link in democratic processes.