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US Adversaries, Cybercriminals Put 2020 Election Results in Their Crosshairs

Jeff Seldin

   WASHINGTON - U.S. election security officials are bracing the American
   public for a new type of worst-case scenario for the Nov. 3
   presidential election -- a flood of disinformation in the hours after
   the polls close, casting doubt on the results and on the process
   itself, as voters wait to learn who will lead the country for the next
   four years.
   Making matters more precarious, officials warn the potential attacks
   are likely to be pervasive, designed to make Americans suspicious of
   any information they get, even from normally trusted sources.
   "Foreign actors and cybercriminals could create new websites, change
   existing websites, and create or share corresponding social media
   content to spread false information," the Federal Bureau of
   Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Information Security
   Agency (CISA) warned in a [1]public service announcement issued late
   Tuesday.
   "The FBI and CISA urge the American public to critically evaluate the
   sources of the information they consume and to seek out reliable and
   verified information from trusted sources, such as state and local
   election officials," the announcement said. "The public should also be
   aware that if foreign actors or cybercriminals were able to
   successfully change an election-related website, the underlying data
   and internal systems would remain uncompromised."
   The fears are not new. For months, federal and state election security
   officials have been trying to prepare voters, telling them that because
   of an expected increase in the use of mail-in ballots due to the
   coronavirus pandemic, it could be days before a presidential election
   winner can be declared.

References

   1. https://www.ic3.gov/media/2020/200922.aspx

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