U.S. Cybersecurity Chief Reassures Public on Election Security

2 Oct at 9:04 pm

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U.S. Cybersecurity Chief Reassures Public on Election Security \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Jen Easterly, head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, reassured Americans of the integrity of the election system, stating that foreign adversaries won’t be able to alter the outcome. Despite misinformation campaigns, progress in election security makes the voting system more resilient than ever. Easterly highlighted the challenges from misinformation and efforts by foreign actors but expressed confidence in the election process.

Election Security Reassurances by CISA Director: Quick Looks

U.S. Elections Are Secure: Jen Easterly, head of CISA, assures that foreign adversaries like Russia and Iran cannot change U.S. election results at scale due to robust security.
Misinformation Concerns Addressed: Despite ongoing efforts by foreign entities to spread misinformation, CISA’s work with election officials strengthens voters’ trust in the process.
Emphasis on Election Worker Safety: Easterly condemned threats to election workers, emphasizing their critical role in preserving democracy amid misinformation-fueled hostility.

Deep Look

With less than a month until Election Day, Jen Easterly, the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), is determined to reassure Americans of the integrity of the nation’s election system. In a climate of election disinformation and mistrust, Easterly emphasized that voting and ballot-counting procedures are more secure than ever, and citizens can be confident in the outcome.

State and local election officials have made significant strides in fortifying the voting infrastructure, according to Easterly. “Malicious actors, even if they tried, could not have an impact at scale such that there would be a material effect on the outcome of the election,” Easterly said during an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday. This progress, she explained, ensures that any attempts by foreign adversaries such as Russia, Iran, or others, to interfere with the upcoming election will fail to affect the overall results.

Easterly’s confident assertions come at a time when foreign adversaries are ramping up efforts to spread misinformation, sway voters, and erode public trust in U.S. elections. Intelligence officials have repeatedly warned about ongoing campaigns to influence the electorate, and Easterly’s comments stand in stark contrast to lingering doubts held by millions of Americans, particularly those loyal to former President Donald Trump. Since 2020, Trump has promoted false claims of widespread voter fraud, which have sown deep distrust, especially among Republican voters, setting the stage for further election-related disputes if he loses this November.

During the 40-minute interview, Easterly addressed a range of election-related issues, from misinformation campaigns to ongoing threats against election workers, as well as the agency’s role in interacting with social media platforms. She emphasized the resilience of election workers in regions ravaged by Hurricane Helene, noting their admirable efforts to ensure voters could still cast their ballots. As mail-in ballots have begun circulating and some states have already started in-person early voting, Easterly highlighted the importance of public confidence in the election process, recognizing that many Americans have had their trust shaken.

Election officials have worked diligently in recent years to strengthen cybersecurity around the nation’s voting systems, Easterly said. Security measures include extensive access controls, regular vulnerability testing, and rigorous examination of voting equipment before every election to ensure that it functions properly. Additionally, layers of transparency, such as paper records of votes in over 97% of voting jurisdictions, provide an important safeguard to verify the accuracy of results.

Easterly acknowledged that “things will go wrong” and pointed out potential disruptions such as storms, ransomware attacks, or distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. However, she stressed that while such disruptions could cause delays or other issues, they would not interfere with votes being cast or counted. “These disruptions will create effects, but they will not impact the ability and the votes being cast or those votes being counted,” she said.

In recent months, U.S. officials have ramped up warnings about attempts by foreign adversaries to interfere in the presidential election, issuing criminal charges, sanctions, and public advisories as a means to deter such activities. Last month, the Biden administration seized more than two dozen Kremlin-run fake websites and charged two Russian state media employees for covertly funding right-wing influencers. Similarly, three Iranian operatives were charged last week for hacking into former President Trump’s campaign. Intelligence agencies and tech companies have tracked Russian and Iranian actors using fake websites and social media profiles to spread disinformation, stoke partisan divides, and potentially influence voters. Easterly also highlighted China’s growing interest in influencing the 2024 election.

Despite these influence campaigns, Easterly was clear that her agency had not identified any direct cyberattacks targeting election infrastructure. “We have not seen specific cyber activity designed to interfere with actual election infrastructure or processes,” she said, reassuring voters about the security of the physical and digital voting systems.

One major consequence of the prevalence of misinformation, according to Easterly, has been a rise in physical threats against election workers and their families. She described these threats as a corrosive force in American democracy, often based on false claims about the 2020 election. “Those election officials, they are not faceless bureaucrats,” Easterly said, underscoring that these are ordinary community members dedicated to safeguarding the democratic process, not for recognition or financial gain, but because they believe in democracy.

To combat misinformation, many state-level secretaries and larger local election offices have undertaken efforts aimed at correcting the public narrative. U.S. Senator Mark Warner, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, recently urged CISA to enhance coordination with social media companies to counter misinformation. Warner’s letter called for greater efforts to ensure that accurate information reaches voters and that disinformation is minimized. Easterly acknowledged that the “information environment is very convoluted and very confusing,” and said that CISA collaborates with election officials to amplify verified information. However, she clarified that CISA does not monitor social media or moderate content. “That is not our role,” she emphasized.

During Tuesday night’s debate between the vice-presidential candidates, Senator JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, accused the federal government of censorship. Easterly took the opportunity to forcefully rebut those claims, defending CISA’s role. “CISA does not censor, has never censored,” she said, adding that accusations against CISA were riddled with inaccuracies. CISA, along with other federal entities, had been named in a lawsuit by Republican-led states alleging that the government applied “unrelenting pressure” to coerce social media platforms into altering their content. The U.S. Supreme Court ultimately ruled 6-3 that the states did not have the legal standing to sue.

Easterly also encouraged voters who might still question election integrity to reach out to their local election offices or even volunteer as poll workers. This, she said, would allow them to see firsthand the security measures in place and the processes that protect the integrity of the vote. She warned that foreign adversaries will almost certainly try to exploit the vote-counting process after Election Day to undermine confidence in the results, urging voters to remain patient. It could take several days to determine the winner of the presidential election, she said, but that is a normal part of ensuring an accurate count.

“We need to come together as Americans to protect and preserve what is most precious,” Easterly concluded. “And that is the foundation of our democracy — fair, free, safe, and secure elections.”