Though the hack likely began in February, officials at the Department of Homeland Security responded to the breach in June to clean up the network of the civilian agency, the FBI and DHS’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said in a public advisory.

The hackers exploited a widely known vulnerability that CISA sounded the alarm about in December 2021 and ordered agencies to address.

It’s an example of how it can take months from when a hack occurs to when it is discovered and disclosed. It also could be the latest evidence that Tehran’s hacking teams, which are often government contractors, dabble in self-enrichment schemes. The hackers allegedly used their access to the US government network to install software that produces cryptocurrency — potentially useful revenue for the sanctions-hit citizens of Iran.

The ultimate motive of the alleged Iranian hackers was unclear. CISA and the FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Iranian government regularly denies accusation of hacking. The Iranian Permanent Mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The hacking programs of major world powers, including China and Iran, often rely on contractors that give those governments a level of plausible deniability for the cyber activity. The United States, too, has used contractors to build out its offensive cyber capabilities.

In the case of Iran, US authorities have in recent months accused the Iranian regime’s alleged contractors of moonlighting for personal gain. US officials in September accused three Iranian men of hacking and extorting an array of US companies and organizations while working for IT firms affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

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Here’s the breakdown according to Maricopa County:

More background: Election workers are tabulating ballots in key states that will determine the balance of power in Congress as well as more than three dozen statehouses. Because of differing laws, some states have tallied nearly all their ballots – while others may not finish for several days.

Even before the polls had closed Tuesday, former President Donald Trump and his allies were spreading baseless claims of voter fraud, a repeat of Trump’s lies about the 2020 election being stolen. Yet, elections officials from coast to coast reported few problems at the polls on Tuesday, saying that the election went smoothly beyond isolated and mostly minor problems.

Many eyes are now on Arizona, given the hotly contested Senate and governor races.

In addition to the outstanding count in Maricopa, officials in Pima County said, as of Wednesday afternoon, there were about 23,000 election day ballots left to scan, as well as about 40,000 early ballots and 2,300 provisional ballots.

Counting is also expected to continue Wednesday in Nevada.

Both states feature competitive Senate and gubernatorial races — and have been a hub of conspiracy theories since the 2020 election.

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