Are the agencies of the U.S. government preparing the public for expected election mischief? The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued a joint announcement on Wednesday, alerting Americans to the threat of cyberattacks targeting U.S. election infrastructure as the 2024 general election approaches.
While these cyberattacks could disrupt access to election-related information, the agencies emphasized that the security and integrity of the voting process would remain intact, but that reporting of results might be delayed or confused, and that results might have to come through traditional legacy media channels.
Distributed Denial of Service attacks involve overwhelming a server with traffic to make it inaccessible. It is a favored tactic among hacktivists and cybercriminals, the agencies said. The F.B.I. and C.I.S.A. warned that such attacks might hinder access to tools like voter look-up services and unofficial election night reporting. However, the agencies stressed that such attacks would not interfere with the actual casting or counting of ballots, simply the reporting of results.
“Threat actors may falsely claim that DDoS attacks are indicative of a compromise related to the election process as they seek to undermine confidence in U.S. elections,” the agencies stated in a press release, stating that no Distributed Denial of Service attack has ever prevented an eligible voter from casting a ballot or compromised the integrity of election results.
The warning comes amid heightened concerns over cybersecurity threats to the nation’s election processes. The agencies highlighted the importance of seeking out reliable information from official sources, especially if election-related websites become temporarily unavailable. They said election officials across the country have implemented multiple safeguards and backup processes to mitigate the impact of any potential disruptions.
In the event of a Distributed Denial of Service attack, election offices have alternative channels for disseminating information, including traditional news outlets and direct messaging to voters.
“CISA and the FBI coordinate closely with federal, state, and local election partners to safeguard U.S. voting processes and maintain the resilience of U.S. elections,” the announcement reads.
