Critical Infrastructure Security, Governance, Risk and Compliance, Threat Management, Security Strategy, Plan, Budget

Election systems at risk of state-sponsored cyberattacks

Russian and other state-sponsored threat groups may deploy cyberattacks against U.S. election systems prior to the midterms in November, according to Stateline. Potential state-sponsored attacks may leverage dwindling election integrity confidence among voters and could have very grave consequences, said Elections Group co-founder Noah Praetz. "The consequences of a cyber event, even if backup plans work, are probably worse than they were four years ago because confidence in elections is down. It’s a pretty precarious situation for our country right now," said Praetz. Praetz's sentiments have been echoed by Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson who noted that despite increased confidence over the state's election system, disinformation spread by former President Donald Trump continue to undermine election integrity. Despite the growing threats, the U.S. has been more prepared in defending its elections systems this year than during the 2016 presidential election, according to Matthew Schmidt, an associate professor and international affairs program coordinator at the University of New Haven. "We are more prepared for the threat than six years ago. These things are much better protected than people think they are and have been hardened more and more," Schmidt said.

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