Microsoft will offer free Windows 7 support for election officials through 2020

Microsoft is expected to announce Friday it will offer state and local election officials free support for Windows 7 operating systems used in voting systems through 2020, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. Microsoft has long planned to stop providing security updates for Windows 7 users in general in January 2020, but was allowing users to pay for those updates through 2023. But the offer of free services through next year’s U.S. presidential election is an additional effort to make it easier to update operating software used in voting systems, such as the election management systems that format ballots. Many systems that support voting in the U.S. still rely on Windows 7, which is not nearly as straightforward to update on those machines as it is on a personal computer. Patches require installation and testing to verify that they will not disrupt a voting system. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission has said it will not de-certify […]

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Video captures glitching Mississippi voting machines flipping votes

A video that shows an electronic machine switching voters’ selections has gone viral, underscoring the need for paper audit trails. Continue reading Video captures glitching Mississippi voting machines flipping votes

After Mueller, Senate Intel Reports on Russian Election Hacks

Now we have the Senate Intel Committee’s report on how Russia sought to influence the 2016 elections, how it might do it again in 2020, and how we can stop it.
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Twitter scrubs nearly 5,000 accounts tied to state-backed information operations

Twitter said Thursday it has removed thousands of accounts associated with six state-backed disinformation campaigns from Iran, Russia, Venezuela, and Spain. The 4,946 accounts taken off the social media site engaged in malicious activity ranging from the amplification of political propaganda and the impersonation of American politicians, among other terms of service violations, the company said. Twitter has “reliably” linked the accounts with state-affiliated organizations, Yoel Roth, chief of site integrity, said in a blog post. But the takedowns also demonstrate how, even as Silicon Valley invests more resources into uncovering this kind of activity, governments still are exploiting Twitter’s influence. “We only disclose datasets associated with coordinated malicious activity that we are able to reliably associate with state-affiliated actors,” Roth wrote. The goal of sharing these campaigns is to enable researchers to further analyze disinformation so the world can better respond to it, especially as it relates to elections, he […]

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Election Security: Back-to-Basics Approach Best Bet

Any conversation about the security of our digital future inevitably involves the subject of election security. Whether it’s an attempt to mitigate the risk of foreign adversaries using misinformation to influence national elections or mitigating the … Continue reading Election Security: Back-to-Basics Approach Best Bet

Report: Russia is using social media to influence European Parliamentary elections

A new report is out claiming that Russian bad actors are increasingly pouring misinformation through social media channels with a clear goal to influence the upcoming European Parliamentary elections. Bad actors are reportedly amplifying their efforts … Continue reading Report: Russia is using social media to influence European Parliamentary elections

WhatsApp Launches a Tip Line for Misinformation in India Ahead of Elections

WhatsApp has been struggling to address misinformation and rumors on its app without compromising security. “Checkpoint Tipline” gives users in India an opt-in option to submit rumors for fact-checking. Continue reading WhatsApp Launches a Tip Line for Misinformation in India Ahead of Elections

ENISA issues recommendations to protect EU Parliament elections against cyber-threats

With the European Union Parliament elections just around the corner, the EU Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA) has released a detailed paper discussing the evolving threat of cyber-attacks on election systems and processes. European Pa… Continue reading ENISA issues recommendations to protect EU Parliament elections against cyber-threats

US pushed Russian troll factory offline during US midterm elections

The US blocked internet access to Russian trolls who, they say, were trying to spread FUD. Continue reading US pushed Russian troll factory offline during US midterm elections