Security News > 2020 > September > Feds warn foreign disinformation will be spamming US voters well after the November election to sow discord and doubt

Foreign-backed disinformation campaigns will spread fake news about the results of the upcoming US election in an effort to sow doubt and outrage among the American public.

The two agencies believe that in the immediate aftermath of the presidential election on November 3, Americans will be bombarded with false stories about the vote tally, reports of voter fraud, and other issues that would stoke division as the country awaits official election results - a process that could take weeks.

Unlike the 2016 election, when most of the disinformation was sprayed out in the run-up to the vote, this cycle will aim to even make people question whether the results of the vote are valid, the alert states.

"The increased use of mail-in ballots due to COVID-19 protocols could leave officials with incomplete results on election night," the agencies warned.

"Foreign actors and cybercriminals could exploit the time required to certify and announce elections' results by disseminating disinformation that includes reports of voter suppression, cyberattacks targeting election infrastructure, voter or ballot fraud, and other problems intended to convince the public of the elections' illegitimacy."

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2020/09/28/in_brief_security/