The FBI warned Tuesday that election officials in nine states have been targeted in recent cyberattacks, including phishing emails containing malicious links. “If successful, this activity may provide cyber actors with sustained, undetected access to a victim’s systems,” the FBI said in a report (pdf). “These emails shared similar attachment files, used compromised email addresses, and were sent close in time, suggesting a concerted effort to target U.S. election officials.” Such cyberattacks have occurred since October 2021, the bureau said, adding that such incidents will likely increase or continue “in the lead-up to the 2022 U.S. midterm elections” in November. On Oct. 5, 2021, unidentified hackers targeted certain election officials in nine states while also targeting representatives of the National Association of Secretaries of State, the FBI said. “These emails originated from at least two email addresses with the same attachment titled, ‘INVOICE INQUIRY.PDF,'” the report said, adding that the email redirected …