The connection was only open for several hours, Politico said, but that would have been long enough for would-be infiltrators. There's no known evidence of hacks skewing North Carolina's results, although investigations are still underway. The company reportedly made a habit of using remote access when it thought an in-person visit would take too long.

VR Systems hasn't responded to requests for comment, although a Politico source said the company had agreed to stop the practice.

This latest report paints a less flattering picture of the company, which already dealt with a spearphishing attack (claimed to be unsuccessful) in 2016. It also suggests that the practice of using remote access software on election-related systems was more commonplace in 2016 than previously thought. There is good news, though -- the Department of Homeland Security now plans to study the laptops used in Durham County that led to the remote access use, potentially boosting security ahead of the 2020 vote.