Category Archives: election assistance commission

Air gapping voting machines isn’t enough, says one election security expert

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The safeguards that election officials say protect voting machines from being hacked are not as effective as advertised, a leading election security expert says. U.S. elections, including national ones, are run by state and local offices. While that decentralization could serve an argument that elections are difficult to hack, University of Michigan Professor J. Alex Halderman says that it’s more like a double-edged sword. Speaking to an audience of students and faculty at the University of Maryland’s engineering school, Halderman said that the U.S. is unique in how elections are localized. States and counties choose the technology used to run federal elections. “Each state state running its own independent election system in many cases does provide a kind of defense. And that defense is that there is no single point nationally that you can try to attack or hack into in order to change the national results,” Halderman said. But […]

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Matthew Masterson joins NPPD as senior cybersecurity adviser

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Former Election Assistance Commission Chairman Matthew Masterson is joining the Department of Homeland Security’s office that coordinates the agency’s election cybersecurity programs. Christopher Krebs, acting Under Secretary of DHS’s National Protection and Programs Directorate, announced in a press release Monday that the Office of Cybersecurity and Communications is bringing Masterson on as a senior cybersecurity adviser. “There are few who have Matt’s experience working with all levels of government and the private sector to protect our nation’s election systems,” Krebs said. “Matt is one of the most equipped to advise on this non-partisan issue and will be an asset to the organization. In a time where technology is constantly evolving, it is more important than ever that DHS maintains productive and trusted relationships with our partners.” Masterson served as an EAC commissioner from December 2014 until last month. Masterson has also served in various roles in Ohio’s Secretary of State’s office, […]

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New EAC chairman will continue to focus on election security

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Thomas Hicks has been tapped to chair the Election Assistance Commission, an agency that is considered central to protecting the U.S. election infrastructure from cyberthreats, the commission announced on Friday. Reuters reported on Thursday that Republican House Speaker, Rep. Paul Ryan, decided not to recommend former chairman Matthew Masterson for a second term as one of the EAC’s four commissioners. Commissioners are recommended by congressional leadership, nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. According to Reuters, some state officials were surprised that Masterson was not considered for a second term as commissioner, given that he has focused much of his tenure on cybersecurity. Hicks’s term as chairman began on Feb. 24, the day after the announcement. Hicks has served as an EAC commissioner since December 2014. He previously served as chairman from February 2016 to February 2017. “I was working on [Capitol] Hill when the Help America Vote Act was […]

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