Tennessee US rep hopeful: Cyberattacks on campaign, business

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – A Tennessee Republican congressional candidate says his campaign and business have faced an “almost constant stream” of cyberattacks.

According to the Knoxville News Sentinel , state Rep. Jimmy Matlock’s campaign says it has notified police and retained a cybercrime forensic investigator.

The campaign says someone hijacked a campaign worker’s cellphone Friday.

Campaign spokesman Greg Butcher says someone began targeting Matlock’s company, Matlock Tire Service & Auto Repair, last year after he announced his bid to replace retiring Rep. John Duncan Jr.

Butcher says campaign website hacking attempts increased this week.

He called the website attacks unsuccessful. Matlock’s business spent thousands of dollars on security upgrades and shut down the servers multiple times.

The campaign says it’s relatively certain who’s to blame because they “left a trail a mile wide,” but evidence is still being gathered.

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Information from: Knoxville News Sentinel, http://www.knoxnews.com

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