It’s election day and everyone is posting about the importance voting, key elections and voter turnout. In addition, many are posting on social media about how they didn’t vote or could not vote. Regardless of whether you voter or not, there is some important information about the election process that you should know. According to the Department of Homeland Security, foreign hackers are actively trying to disrupt U.S. elections at a rising rate. After viewing a report from the Department of Homeland Security, The Boston Globe has reported that foreign hackers have attempted to breach U.S. elections more than 160 times since August. In response, officials have publicly stated that they have been able to prevent all attempts in the past.
When speaking with The Boston Globe, department officials stated, “We’re seeing the same thing; the only difference is now we aren’t saying Russia.” Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, Scott McConnell also added, “DHS is committed to sharing timely and actionable information, like what is outlined in the intelligence report, with our elections partners.”
Given the elections occurring today and the upcoming presidential election, these threats become of greater importance going forward. In addition, elections have become more digitized over the year which presents a new challenge in years to come.
