Stay informed on election security with the latest updates on cyber threats, data protection, and integrity in the democratic process.
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Background for this topic.
Election is a legally governed process for choosing public officials or deciding a question through voting, with rules for registration, ballot creation, voting, counting, and certification. Its cybersecurity scope includes the digital systems supporting those stages—not only voting devices, but voter-registration databases, election-management systems, poll-worker accounts, result-reporting networks, and public information services.
Security priorities are preserving vote and result integrity, keeping essential services available, and protecting voter and worker information from unnecessary exposure. Material risks include unauthorized changes to ballot definitions or tallies, compromise of privileged accounts, disruption of reporting systems, and exploitation of software or network vulnerabilities. Defenses include least-privilege access, multifactor authentication, network separation, tested backups, vulnerability management, and paper records or other independent evidence that supports verification. Election security also requires documented procedures for detecting, containing, and correcting incidents without undermining lawful certification.
Weekly headline count for the current query.
The president’s speech re-hashed debunked conspiracies around U.S. elections. Critics say the administration’s 18-month investigation into voter fraud has been a total failure. The post State officials, election experts pan Trump speech: ‘This is what desperation looks like’ appeared first on CyberScoop.
Courts, Audits and Federal Agencies Found No Evidence 2020 Votes Were AlteredU.S. President Donald Trump used a primetime address Thursday night to allege that China carried out a sweeping compromise of American voter data and to revive doubts about the 2020 election, while stopping short of claiming any votes were changed.
Courts, Audits and Federal Agencies Found No Evidence 2020 Votes Were AlteredU.S. President Donald Trump is expected to revive claims that the 2020 election was hacked in a primetime address, but federal agencies, courts and statewide audits have repeatedly found no evidence votes were altered - while the architecture of U.S. voting systems makes remote hacking implausible.
Clayton maintained he was not an “election denier” but wouldn’t directly answer a number of questions about the 2020 race, his predecessor’s appearance at a January election office raid and more. The post Dems press DNI nominee Jay Clayton on election security questions, but leave dismayed appeared first on CyberScoop.
Election officials are facing an impossible choice: follow federal directives they don’t trust, or risk becoming targets of a criminal investigation. The post States are building their own election defense networks as federal support evaporates appeared first on CyberScoop.
The ruling is a victory for election advocates who say the evidence overwhelmingly shows that voter fraud is rare and not tied to mail voting in general. The post Supreme Court approves mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day appeared first on CyberScoop.
Provisions setting up federal voter lists for each state and restricting mail ballots through USPS were declared unconstitutional. The post Federal court rules Trump election-focused executive order illegal appeared first on CyberScoop.
Long Dwell Times and Persistent Footholds Are Redefining the Election Threat ModelElection security has long been treated as a seasonal effort - defenses up before a vote, then scaled back after. But analysis of the 2024 global election cycle shows adversaries maintaining persistent access across jurisdictions, mapping ecosystems and positioning for future cycles.
The former Colorado election clerk struck an unrepentant pose in her first interview after her prison sentence was commuted by Colorado Governor Jared Polis. The post Tina Peters, convicted in election-security breach, emerges defiant and vows legal fight appeared first on CyberScoop.
Hacking voting machines is so 2017. Phishing, impersonation pose the real election risks
A judge said Democrats and civil groups filed the lawsuit too early to demonstrate harm, but that could change after newly proposed postal regulations. The post USPS moving forward with mail-in ballot changes as courts weigh Trump’s election order appeared first on CyberScoop.
Check Point said actors are shifting toward campaign systems and AI-generated content, outpacing the public's ability to understand and respond to the risks. The post Election threats are focused on campaign systems, not voting machines appeared first on CyberScoop.
The announcement builds on work from major tech firms in 2024 to combat AI-infused election chicanery. The post OpenAI heralds cybersecurity, election interference safeguard plans for 2026 midterms appeared first on CyberScoop.
Guess they could deny the alleged intrusion … like the 2020 election results
Peters was sentenced to nine years for stealing voting data and has been publicly unrepentant. But Colorado Governor Jared Polis has been hinting at the decision for months. The post Colorado governor commutes prison sentence for election denier Tina Peters appeared first on CyberScoop.
Top Democrat Warns States Are Losing Federal Cyber Defense SupportA top U.S, Senate Democrat decried shrinking federal support for election security ahead of the November midterms, warning that cuts to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency could leave states without cyber defense or threat intelligence capabilities
Also, HexDex Arrest, Black Axe Crackdown, LeRobot RCE FlawThis week, election threats resurfaced. A prolific hacker arrested. Black Axe network disrupted. China-linked disinformation targets Tibet. Exploited ScreenConnect and Windows flaws raise alarms. Minecraft gamers hit with stealer malware. A critical AI framework bug enables remote code execution.
In an educational game called "Capture the Narrative," students created bots to sway a fictional election, simulating influence in real-world political scenarios.
The attorney general has suggested the basis of the investigation and warrant stem from a rambling citizen presentation at a county meeting last month. The post State officials, election experts question California sheriff’s seizure of ballots appeared first on CyberScoop.
State-sponsored attackers joined by Chinese snoops and hackers-for-hire in latest round of economic penalties The Council of the European Union sanctioned Emennet Pasargad on Monday, a company used as a front for a series of Iranian cyberattacks.…