Security News > 2021 > February > Report Highlights Cyber Risks to US Election Systems
Election systems in the U.S. are vulnerable to cyber intrusions similar to the one that hit federal agencies and numerous businesses last year and remain a potential target for foreign hacking, according to a report released Wednesday.
The report by the Center for Internet Security, a nonprofit that partners with the federal government on election security initiatives, focuses on how hardware and software components can provide potential entryways for hackers.
The 2020 election was deemed the "Most secure" in history by a coalition of government cybersecurity experts and state and local election officials.
Despite that, election systems are vulnerable to the same risks exposed by the SolarWinds hack, the report said.
Brandon Wales, the acting director of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, said recently there was "No evidence that any election systems were compromised" as part of the hack.
Election officials have spent years working to boost their cybersecurity defenses after it became clear in late 2017 that Russian hackers had scanned state and local voter registration systems in the run-up to the 2016 election - and penetrated a few.