Collaborate Disseminate
The FBI and the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have issued a joint warning to help Americans spot spoofed election-related domains and email accounts that subject them to the risks of cybercrime and disinformation. The alert… Continue reading FBI and CISA Warn of Spoofed Website Domains and Emails Exploiting the 2020 Election
The Russia-linked threat group is harvesting credentials for Microsoft’s cloud offering, and targeting mainly election-related organizations. Continue reading APT28 Mounts Rapid, Large-Scale Theft of Office 365 Logins
With many in the public sphere warning about a potential compromise of the integrity of the Presidential Election, security researchers instead flag online resources and influence campaigns as the biggest problem areas. Continue reading Shoring Up the 2020 Election: Secure Vote Tallies Aren’t the Problem
Starting Sept. 1, Google will crack down on misinformation, a lack of transparency and the ability to amplify or circulate politically influential content. Continue reading Google Updates Ad Policies to Counter Influence Campaigns, Extortion
Beleaguered social media platform Facebook is stepping up its game against media manipulation. Recognizing that deepfake content poses a real threat to society, Zuck’s social network swears to ban all such content from its platform, starting now…. Continue reading Facebook declares war on ‘deepfakes’
Most counties are not protected from impersonation-based spearphishing attacks. Continue reading Email Voted a Weak Link for Election Security, with DMARC Lagging
Defense secretary nominee Mark Esper told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that although there is still work to be done, he is confident in the security of the 2020 presidential elections. “We are more and more confident that the 2020 elections will be unfettered,” Esper said. “But we always will have a lot of work to do because people will always want to influence our elections.” The 2020 elections remain a target of state and non-state cyber actors, a senior intelligence official told reporters last month in a briefing. Esper, who has been serving as secretary of the U.S. Army since 2017, highlighted U.S. Cyber Command’s capabilities while discussing election security. Efforts made in the buildup to the 2018 midterm elections left the U.S. with an improved posture than years prior, he said. Some of the command’s efforts to defend the midterm elections in 2018 included deploying soldiers to […]
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The Federal Election Commission approved a request Thursday from an anti-spearphishing company, deeming it permissible for the security vendor to provide its services to campaigns and political parties at a discount without violating campaign laws. The FEC expressed trepidation last month over whether it could approve the request from a company, Area 1 Security, to provide low or no cost services to campaigns. A debate stemmed from FEC concerns that a security firm, by offering a markdown on normally expensive services to campaigns, could inappropriately curry favor with lawmakers. This decision is one in a series of approvals the FEC has issued in recent months as it recognizes the serious threat foreign adversaries pose to U.S. elections. “Area 1 has cleared the way for candidates to arm themselves with the best technology available to protect against a repeat of the disastrous cyber-intrusions in prior election cycles,” Dan Petalas, outside counsel for Area 1, told CyberScoop. Area 1 now has […]
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The U.S. Election Assistance Commission has added two experienced hands to its voting system certification program amid concerns it had a shortage of technical experts overseeing election infrastructure. The agency is staffing up its crucial certification program by hiring Jessica Bowers, a former executive at Dominion Voting Systems, one of the country’s three largest voting system vendors, and Paul Aumayr, a former Maryland election official. Both new hires will work as senior election technology specialists. In an email announcement to staff obtained by CyberScoop, EAC Executive Director Brian Newby touted Bowers and Aumayr’s technical acumen. Bowers has “over 18 years of software development and product support experience,” while Aumayr is a “Microsoft-certified systems engineer,” Newby wrote. Both will begin work May 28 and report to Jerome Lovato, a former Colorado state election official. Earlier this month, Lovato was tapped to head the EAC’s program for testing and certifying voting systems. He replaced Ryan Macias, whose departure […]
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The federal Election Assistance Commission has appointed Jerome Lovato, a former Colorado state election official, as head of the commission’s program for testing and certifying voting systems, according to a commission email obtained by CyberScoop. Lovato replaces Ryan Macias, who was filling the role in an acting capacity and will step down this month. The crucial EAC program works with the country’s top voting equipment vendors to certify and decertify voting system hardware and software. Lovato’s appointment, which was first reported by Politico, comes as the commission prepares to help secure the 2020 election, a vote that U.S. officials have warned will be targeted by foreign adversaries. Senators are expected to raise those issues next week at an EAC oversight hearing next week. Some lawmakers have pushed for an increase in EAC funding to hire more tech and cybersecurity experts. Whether or not that money comes, the commission intends on hiring more technical personnel, […]
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