Security News > 2024 > August > FBI, CISA remind US voters that DDoS attacks can't touch election systems

US law enforcement and cybersecurity agencies are reminding the public that the country's voting systems will remain unaffected by distributed denial of service attacks as the next presidential election fast approaches.

The feds didn't go as far as to say they expected DDoS attacks to strike the November election, but they did comment on how popular a tactic they are among politically and ideologically motivated hacktivists and cybercriminals.

"In the event that foreign actors or cybercriminals conduct DDoS attacks against election infrastructure or other infrastructure supporting election administration, the underlying data and internal systems would remain uncompromised, and anyone eligible to vote would still be able to cast a ballot," the PSA reads.

"In the past, cyber actors have falsely claimed DDoS attacks have compromised the integrity of voting systems to mislead the public that their attack would prevent a voter from casting a ballot or change votes already cast."

There are, of course, several instances of individuals in the US trying to interfere with their own country's voters, urging them to vote in one way or another.

US senator Mark Warner suggested earlier this year that the US is less prepared for election interference than it was back in 2020, citing Russia, a ban on CISA from helping social media platforms curb misinformation, and the power of AI and deepfake-enabled misinformation campaigns.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/08/01/fbi_cisa_election_ddos/