Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson warned Friday that election officials must be “vigilant” against cyberattacks on the nation’s election systems this year, and said DHS was at the ready to help state and election officials deal with these threats.
“We have confidence in the overall integrity of our electoral systems,” Johnson said. “It is diverse, subject to local control, and has many checks and balance built in.”
“Nevertheless, we must face the reality that cyberintrusions and attacks in this country are increasingly sophisticated, from a range of increasingly capable actors that include nation-states, cyberhacktivists, and criminals,” it added. “In this environment, we must be vigilant.”
DHS said its help is voluntary and doesn’t involve regulation or binding directors, and includes things like running “cyberhygiene scans” on Internet systems. These scans can be done remotely, and can lead to recommendations about what steps need to be taken to boost security.
Other services DHS is offering include:
- Risk and vulnerability assessments that are run on-site by DHS cybersecurity experts.
- Using the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center to report possible cyberincidents.
- Information sharing, to help election officials take steps to protect their systems.
- Field-based cybersecurity advisors, to help connect election officials to the tools they need to boost cybersecurity.
