Security News > 2024 > February > Election security threats in 2024 range from AI to … anthrax?

State and county officials have been urged to use paper ballots wherever possible over electronic ones, and ensure all election offices have procedures in place to handle potentially lethal substances, specifically fentanyl, anthrax, and ricin.

On election threats, "We anticipate AI being leveraged for deception campaigns," said Michelle Alvarez, strategic threat analysis manager for IBM X-Force.

In addition to disinformation, election administrators also need to worry about how completed ballots are returned to state and county offices, and whether or not they have proper training and equipment in case miscreants mail toxic substances to their facilities.

This involves providing a blank digital ballot to citizens, allowing those voters to mark their choices via a web portal or other electronic interface, and then electronically sending the marked ballots back to the election offices.

"While there are effective risk management controls to enable electronic ballot delivery and marking, we recommend paper ballot return as electronic ballot return technologies are high-risk even with controls in place," according to guidance [PDF] from the FBI, CISA, the Election Assistance Commission and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

These risky e-returns should be limited to voters who can't return their ballot by any other means, the agencies advise, citing "Significant security risks to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of voted ballots" that are returned in this manner.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/02/18/election_security_threats_2024/