Article snippet: Federal officials are in "a heightened posture" looking to thwart any hackers who may be targeting today's hotly contested Senate race in Alabama, where allegations of sexual misconduct against the Republican nominee, Roy Moore, have upended a once-presumed Republican victory, according to a top Homeland Security official. This morning, officials from the Department of Homeland Security held a "coordination call" with state and local counterparts in Alabama, and similar conference calls are expected throughout the day, said Chris Krebs, who is acting as the under secretary for DHS' National Protection and Programs Directorate. Hoping to become the next U.S. senator from Alabama, Moore, a former Alabama Supreme Court chief justice, is facing off against Democrat Doug Jones, a former U.S. attorney. During the presidential campaign last year, cyberthieves successfully stole voter-related information from the Illinois election system, and more than 20 other states had their systems scanned by hackers. "We learned our lessons last year," Krebs told reporters today, warning that the hackers "will be back." That's why authorities have made cybersecurity for states "a priority going forward" and are taking steps today to help state and local election officials in Alabama, according to Krebs. "They know we’re here to assist," Krebs said. "We've been working with them kind of 'Game Day' planning for quite some time now." He noted that a "protective se... Link to the full article to read more