Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold revealed voting equipment passwords were posted online for four months before being detected and removed in a worrying security breach before the election.

Griswold, a Democrat, He said the passwords were posted on June 21 and deleted on October 24.

A former staff member created a spreadsheet containing passwords in a hidden tab. The spreadsheet was then posted on the Colorado Department of State’s subpage for voting system equipment, Griswold’s office said.

Griswold’s office said the employee left “amicably” before the violation became public. However, Griswold declined to share specific details about the employee’s departure.

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Jena Griswold (Nathan Howard/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Griswold’s office determined that 34 of Colorado’s 64 counties were affected by the password breach.

While the breach was discovered on October 24, it was not made public until the Colorado Republican Party revealed it in an email five days later.

Griswold defended his office’s decision not to immediately detail the breach to the public, saying he did not know if the passwords were active. He said he first wanted to understand the “size and scope of the disclosure.”

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Jena Griswold’s office determined that 34 of Colorado’s 64 counties were affected by the password breach.

The Colorado Libertarian Party is suing the state over the gap.

Griswold’s office said all affected active computers had undergone password updates with the support of the Governor’s Office of Information Technology, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and Colorado’s dedicated county clerks.

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Griswold insisted Colorado’s elections are secure.

“Colorado elections are secure and Coloradans will make their voices heard on Election Day. Our elections have many layers of security. Ensuring Colorado elections are secure and accessible has been and always will be our top priority, reason why the Department of State, along with county clerks and election workers across the state, will address any and all potential risks to our elections with the utmost seriousness. I regret this mistake. I am dedicated to ensuring that we address it. this matter completely and that mistakes of this nature will never happen again.” — Secretary of State Jena Griswold

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The clerk’s office said it is working with a law firm on an outside investigation to determine how the violation occurred, how it could be prevented and any recommendations for improvement.

It added that it will also require additional cybersecurity training for all staff, including password management and security procedures.