(Image source from: Reuters)

The United States Senator Bill Nelson today told the Tampa Bay Times that Russian operatives have "penetrated" Florida election systems.

"They have already penetrated certain counties in the state and they now have free rein to move about," Nelson said.

The remarks reportedly caused a splash among the state's election officials, who are at work setting up for midterm elections in November.

"There has been no current communication with anyone about any breach or problem," Okaloosa Supervisor of Elections Paul Lux told the Tampa Bay Times.

Nelson told the publication that the Senate Intelligence Committee was instructing state officials to give notice to election supervisors that foreign agents had infiltrated their records.

Two Florida county officials and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee told the Tampa Bay Times that during a private meeting held in may the Senator had reported akin information, yet asking those in attendance to keep the information under wraps. Few were secluded to Rubio's warnings said, nevertheless, whatever small info was rendered was not adequate to inform a strategy against such attacks.

Nelson recommended that manipulating electors rolls could be a goal of the attacks. "You can imagine the chaos that would occur on election day when the voters get to the polls and they say, 'I'm sorry Mr. Smith, I'm sorry Mr. Jones, you're not registered,'" he said.

Nelson's statements come in consequence to report on others over attacks targeting 2018 campaigns.

Microsoft, earlier this month said that it uncovered phishing attempts, believed to be of Russian origin, against three candidates running for election in 2018, while Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) reported that her campaign had been targeted by Russia-based groups as well.

By Sowmya Sangam