Cyber Experts Warn Of Vulnerabilities Facing 2020 Election Machines
5 years, 6 months ago

Cyber Experts Warn Of Vulnerabilities Facing 2020 Election Machines

NPR  

Cyber Experts Warn Of Vulnerabilities Facing 2020 Election Machines Enlarge this image toggle caption Jessica McGowan/Getty Images Jessica McGowan/Getty Images A group of guys are staring into a laptop, exchanging excited giggles. Sponsor Message And less than six months before voters head to the polls in early primary states for the 2020 election, American voting is stuck in a paradox: States have spent hundreds of millions of dollars on security improvements, and yet the overall system remains vulnerable in some of the same ways it was four years ago. Sponsor Message The Senate intelligence committee's report on Russian election interference says one of Moscow's goals may have been to "undermine confidence in the 2016 U.S. elections simply through the discovery of their activity." Just last month, Politico reported that election officials in 69 counties in Texas will either be "sticking with their existing paperless machines, some of them almost 20 years old, or buying new ones.

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History of this topic

Combatting Persistent Election Interference Fears
4 months, 4 weeks ago

Combatting Persistent Election Interference Fears

Bloomberg  

00:00 We rely and go to your sister in cyber readiness expertise here because we understand the misinformation concerns. And our election officials, our election infrastructure stakeholders have never been more prepared to administer a safe, secure and resilient election. What's important to note is that after the 2016 election, elections themselves became critical infrastructure, which means that we determined …

DHS Warns Law Enforcement Election Deniers May Attempt to Bomb Drop Boxes
55 years, 3 months ago

DHS Warns Law Enforcement Election Deniers May Attempt to Bomb Drop Boxes

Wired  

United States intelligence officials have been quietly issuing warnings to government agencies all summer about a rising threat of extremist violence tied to the 2024 presidential election, including plots to destroy bins full of paper ballots and promote "lone wolf" attacks against election facilities throughout the country. The documents show that DHS alerted dozens of agencies this summer to online …

Voting Machines: A Secure and Accurate System Despite Conspiracy Theories
5 months, 3 weeks ago

Voting Machines: A Secure and Accurate System Despite Conspiracy Theories

Associated Press  

The article discusses the accuracy and security of voting machines and the conspiracy theories surrounding them. It highlights that there was no evidence of widespread fraud or rigged voting machines in the 2020 election, and that multiple reviews confirmed the results as accurate. The article also addresses the concerns of election officials and computer security experts about the security of …

Cybersecurity head says there’s no chance a foreign adversary can change U.S. election results
6 months ago

Cybersecurity head says there’s no chance a foreign adversary can change U.S. election results

LA Times  

Foreign adversaries are ramping up disinformation campaigns to undermine confidence in U.S. election security as voters decide between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump, a top cybersecurity official says. Security for U.S. election systems has become so robust that Russia, Iran or any other foreign adversary will not be able to alter the outcome of this year’s presidential …

A Senate Bill Would Radically Improve Voting Machine Security
55 years, 3 months ago

A Senate Bill Would Radically Improve Voting Machine Security

Wired  

Congress is moving closer to putting US election technology under a stricter cybersecurity microscope. Embedded inside this year’s Intelligence Authorization Act, which funds intelligence agencies like the CIA, is the Strengthening Election Cybersecurity to Uphold Respect for Elections through Independent Testing Act, which would require penetration testing of federally certified voting machines and ballot scanners, and create a pilot program …

Elon Musk doubles down with 'Anything can be hacked' jab as BJP leader defends India's EVM
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Elon Musk doubles down with 'Anything can be hacked' jab as BJP leader defends India's EVM

Hindustan Times  

BJP leader and former Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Sunday strongly rebutted tech mogul Elon Musk's call to eliminate electronic voting machines, arguing that secure digital hardware is indeed achievable. ECI gives 2 reasons Chandrasekhar, who served as the Minister of State for the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in the previous government, characterised Musk's assertion as a "huge …

Elon Musk doubles down with 'Anything can be hacked' jab as BJP leader defends India's EVM
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Elon Musk doubles down with 'Anything can be hacked' jab as BJP leader defends India's EVM

Hindustan Times  

BJP leader and former Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Sunday strongly rebutted tech mogul Elon Musk's call to eliminate electronic voting machines, arguing that secure digital hardware is indeed achievable. ECI gives 2 reasons Chandrasekhar, who served as the Minister of State for the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in the previous government, characterised Musk's assertion as a "huge …

Generative AI and elections are key focus for hackers in 2024, report warns
1 year, 1 month ago

Generative AI and elections are key focus for hackers in 2024, report warns

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Hackers are turning to generative AI to help them scam people and will …

Multiple threats to election systems prompt US cybersecurity agency to boost cooperation with states
1 year, 1 month ago

Multiple threats to election systems prompt US cybersecurity agency to boost cooperation with states

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The nation’s cybersecurity agency on Thursday launched a program aimed at boosting election security in the states, shoring up support for local offices and hoping to provide reassurance to voters that this year’s presidential elections will be safe and accurate. Eric Goldstein, CISA’s executive assistant director for cybersecurity, described “a really difficult cybersecurity environment” that includes “extraordinary advances …

Election Officials See A Range Of Threats In 2024, From Hostile Countries To Conspiracy Theorists
1 year, 3 months ago

Election Officials See A Range Of Threats In 2024, From Hostile Countries To Conspiracy Theorists

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING ATLANTA — For election officials preparing for the 2024 presidential election, the list of security challenges just keeps growing. The company said it was unlikely that Russia, China and Iran would sit out next year’s contest because the “stakes are simply too high.” The report said Russia remains “the most committed and capable threat to the 2024 …

Voting experts warn of ‘serious threats’ for 2024 from election equipment software breaches
1 year, 3 months ago

Voting experts warn of ‘serious threats’ for 2024 from election equipment software breaches

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — An effort to access voting system software in several states and provide it to allies of former President Donald Trump as they sought to overturn the results of the 2020 election has raised “serious threats” ahead of next year’s presidential contest, according to a group of experts who urged federal agencies to investigate. The letter sent by nearly …

Mike Lindell's vote fraud gizmo could send 'enraged partisans' marching on election offices: report
1 year, 5 months ago

Mike Lindell's vote fraud gizmo could send 'enraged partisans' marching on election offices: report

Raw Story  

Mike Lindell claims to have a new tool for uncovering election fraud – but it seems just as likely to provoke violent threats as discover evidence of a crime. "I told Lindell that his WMD alerts would be going off everywhere because many states use online connections for e-pollbooks — which are often i-Pads – to make sure only registered …

Election vigilantes pose grave threat to 2024 vote: expert
1 year, 6 months ago

Election vigilantes pose grave threat to 2024 vote: expert

Raw Story  

Republicans have an arsenal of tools – including artificial intelligence and vigilante activists – to make it harder to vote and easier to cheat in next year's election, according to a voting rights expert. Georgia's GOP-backed anti-voting law makes it easier for partisan vigilantes to challenge voters en masse, and conservative groups are now using third-party groups to challenge voter …

Head of US cybersecurity agency sees progress on election security, with more work needed for 2024
1 year, 8 months ago

Head of US cybersecurity agency sees progress on election security, with more work needed for 2024

Associated Press  

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Efforts to protect the nation’s election systems have grown exponentially since the 2016 presidential election, but more is needed to defend the integrity and resiliency of the election process ahead of next year’s vote, the head of the nation’s cybersecurity agency said Tuesday. That’s on top of financially motivated, criminal ransomware groups and the potential for sophisticated …

Critics blast Georgia’s plan to delay software updates on its voting machines
1 year, 9 months ago

Critics blast Georgia’s plan to delay software updates on its voting machines

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — Critics of Georgia’s plan to wait until after next year’s presidential election to install a software update to address security flaws on the state’s voting equipment called that irresponsible, saying the machines would be left open to attack. Even if no attack happens, Halderman wrote, the existence of vulnerabilities “is all but certain to be exploited by partisan …

National push to bolster security of key election technology
1 year, 11 months ago

National push to bolster security of key election technology

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — An effort to create a national testing program for technology central to U.S elections will be launched later this year, aiming to strengthen the security of equipment that has been targeted by foreign governments and provided fertile ground for conspiracy theories. “This is a critical need being filled at a critical time,” said Chris Wlaschin, senior vice president …

Security experts warn of foreign cyber threat to 2024 voting
2 years, 1 month ago

Security experts warn of foreign cyber threat to 2024 voting

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Top state election and cybersecurity officials on Thursday warned about threats posed by Russia and other foreign adversaries ahead of the 2024 elections, noting that America’s decentralized system of thousands of local voting jurisdictions creates a particular vulnerability. Distracted by war and protests, neither country appeared to disrupt last year’s midterm elections, but security officials said they expect …

Electronic pollbook security raises concerns going into 2024
2 years, 1 month ago

Electronic pollbook security raises concerns going into 2024

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — They were blamed for long lines in Los Angeles during California’s 2020 presidential primary, triggered check-in delays in Columbus, Ohio, a few months later and were at the center of former President Donald Trump’s call for supporters to protest in Detroit during last November’s midterms. But there is a much wider system of technology that supports U.S. elections …

EXPLAINER: Threats to US election security grow more complex
2 years, 4 months ago

EXPLAINER: Threats to US election security grow more complex

Associated Press  

BOSTON — Top U.S. election security officials say protecting the nation’s voting systems has become increasingly challenging. With the midterm elections just days away, the director of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Jen Easterly, and other officials say they have no evidence that election infrastructure has been altered by hostile actors to prevent voting or vote counting, compromise …

Voting Wars: Unprecedented efforts by pro-Trump Republicans and election officials are targeting the 2022 election
2 years, 5 months ago

Voting Wars: Unprecedented efforts by pro-Trump Republicans and election officials are targeting the 2022 election

Raw Story  

There is little doubt that pro-Trump Republicans are going to challenge voters and contest results that they do not like in 2022’s general election. “We will soon find out if American democracy is robust enough,” concluded the New Yorker’s Sue Halpern, in an October 4 report that detailed how “Republican-led legislatures and right-wing activists alike are making things more difficult …

EXPLAINER: Voting systems reliable, despite conspiracies
2 years, 5 months ago

EXPLAINER: Voting systems reliable, despite conspiracies

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — Former President Donald Trump and his allies have whipped up a relentless campaign of attacks against voting equipment since his loss in the 2020 election. Over the last decade, state and local governments began replacing their paperless machines, a process that accelerated after the 2016 election and revelations that Russia had scanned U.S. voting systems looking for vulnerabilities. …

Breaches of voting machine data raise worries for midterms
2 years, 6 months ago

Breaches of voting machine data raise worries for midterms

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — Sensitive voting system passwords posted online. After the Georgia breach, a group of election security experts said the unauthorized copying and sharing of election data from rural Coffee County presented “serious threats” to the November election. “You can start creating very compelling imaginary evidence.” There has been no evidence that voting machines have been manipulated, either during the …

Breaches of voting machine system raise worries for midterm election
2 years, 6 months ago

Breaches of voting machine system raise worries for midterm election

LA Times  

Sensitive voting system passwords posted online. After the Georgia breach, a group of election security experts said the unauthorized copying and sharing of election data from rural Coffee County presented “serious threats” to the November election. “You can start creating very compelling imaginary evidence.” There is no evidence to date that voting machines have been manipulated, either during the 2020 …

Computer experts urge Georgia to replace voting machines
2 years, 6 months ago

Computer experts urge Georgia to replace voting machines

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — A group of computer and election security experts is urging Georgia election officials to replace the state’s touchscreen voting machines with hand-marked paper ballots ahead of the November midterm elections, citing what they say are “serious threats” posed by an apparent breach of voting equipment in one county. State Election Board Chair William Duffey responded in an email …

Voting machine tampering points to concern for fall election
2 years, 7 months ago

Voting machine tampering points to concern for fall election

Associated Press  

DENVER — On the last day of voting in Colorado’s June primary, a poll worker sent to wipe down a voting machine found a concerning error message on its screen: “USB device change detected.” The machine, used to mark ballots electronically, was taken out of use and an investigation launched. The incident heightened concerns among election officials and security experts …

Election officials face security challenges before midterms
2 years, 8 months ago

Election officials face security challenges before midterms

Associated Press  

— Election officials preparing for the upcoming midterms face a myriad of threats, both foreign and domestic, as they look to protect voting systems and run a smooth election while fighting a wave of misinformation that has been undermining public confidence in U.S. elections. The nation’s top state election officials gathered Thursday for the start of their annual summer conference, …

Activists say cyber agency weakens voting tech advisory
2 years, 9 months ago

Activists say cyber agency weakens voting tech advisory

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — The nation’s leading cybersecurity agency released a final version Friday of an advisory it previously sent state officials on voting machine vulnerabilities in Georgia and other states that voting integrity activists say weakens a security recommendation on using barcodes to tally votes. The advisory put out by the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA, has to …

Cyber agency: Voting software vulnerable in some states
2 years, 10 months ago

Cyber agency: Voting software vulnerable in some states

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — Electronic voting machines from a leading vendor used in at least 16 states have software vulnerabilities that leave them susceptible to hacking if unaddressed, the nation’s leading cybersecurity agency says in an advisory sent to state election officials. CISA Executive Director Brandon Wales said in a statement that “states’ standard election security procedures would detect exploitation of these …

Officials describe threats following 2020 election
3 years, 5 months ago

Officials describe threats following 2020 election

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — Election officials told a congressional committee Tuesday they’ve received graphic threats to their safety since the 2020 election and warned that pressure on election workers is a threat to democracy. Experienced election administrators are increasingly leaving the field as they face unsupported accusations of manipulating election results, a bipartisan group of state election officials told the Senate Rules …

Experts warn of dangers from breach of voter system software
3 years, 7 months ago

Experts warn of dangers from breach of voter system software

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — Republican efforts questioning the outcome of the 2020 presidential race have led to voting system breaches that election security experts say pose a heightened risk to future elections. Copies of the Dominion Voting Systems software used to manage elections — from designing ballots to configuring voting machines and tallying results — were distributed at an event this month …

Experts: False claims on voting machines obscure real flaws
3 years, 7 months ago

Experts: False claims on voting machines obscure real flaws

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — The aftermath of the 2020 election put an intense spotlight on voting machines as supporters of former President Donald Trump claimed victory was stolen from him. In Georgia, for example, election security expert J. Alex Halderman says he’s identified “multiple severe security flaws” in the state’s touchscreen voting machines, according to a sworn declaration in a court case. …

US election 2020 most secure in American history: Top officials
4 years, 4 months ago

US election 2020 most secure in American history: Top officials

India TV News  

A coalition of federal and state officials found no evidence that votes were compromised or altered in last week’s presidential election, rejecting unsubstantiated claims of widespread fraud advanced by President Donald Trump and many of his supporters. The statement late Thursday, by government and industry officials who coordinate election cybersecurity, trumpeted the Nov. 3 election as the most secure in …

Infamous hacking network shut down by Microsoft resurfaces in time for US presidential election
4 years, 4 months ago

Infamous hacking network shut down by Microsoft resurfaces in time for US presidential election

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “Adversaries can use ransomware to infect a computer system used to maintain voter rolls or report on …

Voting Security Has Come A Long Way Since 2016 — But Vulnerabilities Remain
4 years, 4 months ago

Voting Security Has Come A Long Way Since 2016 — But Vulnerabilities Remain

NPR  

Voting Security Has Come A Long Way Since 2016 — But Vulnerabilities Remain Enlarge this image toggle caption David J. Phillip/AP David J. Phillip/AP Government officials have spent the year touting Tuesday's election as potentially the "most secure" in the nation's history. "My confidence in the security of your vote has never been higher," said Chris Krebs, the director of …

Global democracy at risk from cyberattack 'onslaught' - Microsoft president
4 years, 5 months ago

Global democracy at risk from cyberattack 'onslaught' - Microsoft president

The Hindu  

Democracies around the world are under a constant barrage of cyberattacks that must be identified, called out and stopped, Microsoft President Brad Smith told a gathering of security and defence officials on Wednesday. Speaking at the Atlantic Future Forum, Smith named Russia, China, Iran and North Korea as the states most frequently engaged in malicious cyberattacks targeting elections and the …

Russian Hackers Break Into 2 County Systems, Stoking Election Security Fears
4 years, 5 months ago

Russian Hackers Break Into 2 County Systems, Stoking Election Security Fears

NPR  

Russian Hackers Break Into 2 County Systems, Stoking Election Security Fears Enlarge this image toggle caption Joe Raedle/Getty Images Joe Raedle/Getty Images Updated on Oct. 23 at 5:47 a.m. The focus of the effort, from the notable Russian hacking group sometimes known as Energetic Bear or FireFly, includes "U.S. state, local, territorial, and tribal government networks, as well as aviation …

Voter beware: US tells public how to avoid election mischief
4 years, 5 months ago

Voter beware: US tells public how to avoid election mischief

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity agency have issued a series of advisories in recent weeks aimed at warning voters about problems that could surface in the election — as well as steps Americans can take to counter the foreign interference threat. That could include promoting claims of voter suppression and ballot fraud, denigrating individual …

Voter beware: US tells public how to avoid election mischief
4 years, 5 months ago

Voter beware: US tells public how to avoid election mischief

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. That could include promoting claims of voter suppression and ballot fraud, denigrating individual political …

Defending the 2020 election against hacking: 5 questions answered
4 years, 6 months ago

Defending the 2020 election against hacking: 5 questions answered

Salon  

Editor's note: Journalist Bob Woodward reports in his new book, "Rage," that the NSA and CIA have classified evidence that the Russian intelligence services placed malware in the election registration systems of at least two Florida counties in 2016, and that the malware was sophisticated and could erase voters. Four years ago, Russia managed to penetrate systems in several states …

What To Know About The Election Security Situation After Super Tuesday
5 years ago

What To Know About The Election Security Situation After Super Tuesday

NPR  

What To Know About The Election Security Situation After Super Tuesday Enlarge this image toggle caption John Edelson/AFP via Getty Images John Edelson/AFP via Getty Images The big picture on election security in the 2020 campaign after Super Tuesday: could be worse — but also could be better. And, as national security officials acknowledged before and during the vote on …

Super Tuesday voting so far free of meddling, U.S. officials say
5 years ago

Super Tuesday voting so far free of meddling, U.S. officials say

The Hindu  

The Super Tuesday primary elections were so far free of any signs of interference, said national security professionals who gathered in Northern Virginia in an unprecedented monitoring effort to counter cyberattacks and foreign disinformation. “On the specifics of today, we have not seen any acute increase in any misinformation,” said Christopher Krebs, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency …

Lessons learned from 2016, but US faces new election threats
5 years, 2 months ago

Lessons learned from 2016, but US faces new election threats

Associated Press  

It’s been more than three years since Russia’s sweeping and systematic effort to interfere in U.S. elections through disinformation on social media, stolen campaign emails and attacks on voting systems. When federal officials began to suspect election systems were being targeted in 2016, they communicated with some state officials but not necessarily those overseeing elections. When Russia breached Illinois’ voter …

US election security still vulnerable to Russia heading into 2020 - even with new funding, experts warn
5 years, 6 months ago

US election security still vulnerable to Russia heading into 2020 - even with new funding, experts warn

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy With less than five months until the first votes are …

Indiana election upgrade leaves widespread paperless voting
5 years, 6 months ago

Indiana election upgrade leaves widespread paperless voting

Associated Press  

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana officials are launching a statewide election system upgrade that will add devices to perhaps 2,000 voting electronic machines and allow them to display a paper record to voters. Those devices are intended for placement before the May 2020 primary on 10% of Indiana’s paperless voting machines, which election officials say are now used in up to 58 …

US govt fears voter registration databases could be targetted by ransomware, takes preventive measures
5 years, 7 months ago

US govt fears voter registration databases could be targetted by ransomware, takes preventive measures

Firstpost  

A ransomware attack typically locks an infected computer system until payment, usually in the form of cryptocurrency, is sent to the hacker. “That is why we are working alongside election officials and their private sector partners to help protect their databases and respond to possible ransomware attacks.” A ransomware attack typically locks an infected computer system until payment, usually in …

Hackers can easily break into voting machines used across the U.S.; play Doom, Nirvana
5 years, 7 months ago

Hackers can easily break into voting machines used across the U.S.; play Doom, Nirvana

Salon  

Voting machines used in states across the United States were easily penetrated by hackers at the Def Con conference in Las Vegas on Friday. Motherboard recently reported that election security experts found that election systems used in 10 different states have connected to the internet over the last year, despite assurances from voting machine vendors that they are never connected …

16 Million Could Cast Paperless Ballots Vulnerable To Hacking In 2020
5 years, 7 months ago

16 Million Could Cast Paperless Ballots Vulnerable To Hacking In 2020

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING WASHINGTON — More than one in 10 voters could cast ballots on paperless voting machines in the 2020 general election, according to a new analysis, leaving their ballots more vulnerable to hacking. While there has been significant progress by states and the federal government since Russian agents targeted U.S. state election systems ahead of the 2016 presidential …

Challenges Remain In Securing U.S. Elections By 2020
5 years, 11 months ago

Challenges Remain In Securing U.S. Elections By 2020

NPR  

Challenges Remain In Securing U.S. FESSLER: Certainly a far cry from 2016 when state and local election officials and federal authorities barely knew that each other existed. FESSLER: Matt Dietrich, a spokesman for the state election board, says that could undermine public confidence in an entire election. FESSLER: Which keeps a lot of election officials up at night - David …

Election Commission says its EVMs are 'foolproof', mulls legal action against US-based cyber expert who raised hacking allegation
6 years, 2 months ago

Election Commission says its EVMs are 'foolproof', mulls legal action against US-based cyber expert who raised hacking allegation

Firstpost  

Amid claims by an Indian cyber expert that electronic voting machines can be hacked, the Election Commission asserted on Monday that it firmly stands by “empirical facts about foolproof nature” of its machines, and said it is examining as to what legal action “can and should” be taken in the matter. New Delhi: Amid claims by an Indian cyber expert …

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