With only about a month left until the U.S. election, the head of the United States’ cybersecurity agency reassured American voters concerned about election security that no foreign adversary can alter the election results.
According to reports from the Associated Press, Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) responsible for election security in the United States, stated that state and local election officials have made significant progress in ensuring the security of voting, counting, and other election infrastructure, making the systems more robust than ever before, and preventing any foreign adversaries, including Russia and Iran, from changing the election results.
Easterly expressed confidence in the election process and stated in an interview with the Associated Press on Wednesday, October 2nd that, “Even if malicious actors attempt to influence the election results, they will not be able to produce a substantial impact.”
Currently, mail-in ballots are being sent out, and some states have already opened early voting for voters.
She also mentioned that her agency is in contact with election officials from the southeastern regions affected by Hurricane “Helene” and praised the remarkable resilience displayed by these workers, who are working hard to ensure that voters can cast their ballots even in the face of disasters.
Easterly acknowledged that many Americans’ confidence in the election has been shaken, emphasizing the preparations election officials have made to address emergencies, simple errors, and attacks and highlighting their unwavering commitment to protecting Americans’ right to vote.
In recent years, election officials have been working to enhance the cybersecurity defenses of the national voting system, implementing a series of procedures from access controls to regular testing to identify potential vulnerabilities. Officials also conduct testing of voting equipment before each election to ensure its proper functioning.
Easterly pointed out that a multi-layered security approach and transparency, such as the use of paper ballot records in over 97% of voting jurisdictions, help verify the election results.
“Things can go wrong. Another storm could arise. Ransomware attacks, Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks could occur. These disruptions could have an impact, but they will not affect the ability to vote or count the votes or the election results.”
In the past few months, U.S. officials have been issuing warnings through criminal charges, sanctions, and announcements, indicating that foreign adversaries are intensifying their efforts to influence voters.
The Biden administration last month shut down more than twenty fake websites operated by the Kremlin and charged two Russian state media employees for clandestinely funding “unwitting American social media influencers supporting their malicious activities.” Last week, three Iranian operatives were accused of infiltrating former President Trump’s campaign team.
U.S. intelligence agencies and technology companies have tracked Russian and Iranian hackers using fake websites and social media accounts to spread false information, incite division, and attempt to influence American voters. In previous U.S. elections, Iran and Russia have also attempted to intervene through fake news and hacking attacks. Easterly noted that China is also “very interested” in influencing the 2024 election.
She said that apart from these influence activities, her agency has not identified any destructive activities targeting the election system. Easterly stated, “We have not seen any specific cyber activities aimed at disrupting actual election infrastructure or processes.”
The proliferation of fake news during elections has become a widespread concern. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner wrote to Easterly last week, urging the agency to take further steps to combat election disinformation and misinformation, including collaborating with social media platforms to combat false reports.
Easterly stated that her agency collaborates with election officials to promote the dissemination of accurate information. She also made it clear that her agency will not monitor social media websites or attempt to censor their content, stating that, “That is not our responsibility.”
Easterly encouraged voters with concerns about the election process to contact their local election office and even volunteer as polling station staff to understand the election process and existing security measures.
She cautioned that foreign adversaries are almost certain to attempt to exploit the post-election vote-counting process to undermine people’s trust in the election results. She urged voters to remain patient and emphasized that it may take several days after November 5th to determine the winner of the presidential election.
She said, “As Americans, we must stand united to protect and uphold the most precious thing. That is the foundation of our democracy – fair, free, secure, and reliable elections.”
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), a part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), was established in November 2018. Its core function is to oversee cybersecurity and infrastructure protection across all levels of government, coordinate cybersecurity plans with states, and enhance the security defenses of government networks against privately or state-sponsored cyber attacks.