DSS joins investigation as INEC links voter data leak to insider

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says an insider, not a hacker, was behind the unauthorised access to a voter record that recently sparked concerns about a possible database breach.

According to Vanguard, the commission’s audit trail traced the incident to a staff member with legitimate access to the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) database. INEC stressed that there was no external hacking or compromise of its ICT infrastructure, and that only a single voter record was involved.

The Department of State Services (DSS) has now joined the investigation, while the electoral body says the staff member linked to the access has been identified and questioned. INEC insists the personal data of over 90 million registered voters remains secure.