Cybersecurity doubts may spook voters in future elections

A new poll says growing concerns over cybersecurity could lead to millions of Americans staying home during the 2018 midterm elections and the subsequent 2020 presidential election. More than one in four American voters will consider not voting in upcoming elections due to concerns over cybersecurity, according to a new poll published Wednesday by the U.S. cybersecurity firm Carbon Black. That’s a jump of nearly ten percentage points from last year’s poll. The doubts are sharpest when it comes to the ability of state and local election authorities to defend against a cyberattack. Less than half of voters (45 percent) trust local authorities on cybersecurity, a number reflecting last month’s report that “election-related systems in 21 states that were targeted” by Russian hackers during the 2016 presidential election. Yet, less than half (47 percent) of American voters believed the 2016 election was influenced by foreign entities. That’s a sharp break with the U.S. intelligence community, but is […]

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After 2016 election hacking, Illinois politicians pose cybersecurity questions to local officials

Nearly a year after Illinois election boards were targeted in a monthlong cyberattack, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and state Sen. Michael E. Hastings want the state’s local election authorities to assess the state’s election-system cybersecurity. The two Democrats are asking questions about what might have been hacked and how local election officials responded. The letter not only dives into the specifics of Illinois cybersecurity but also asks how federal and state agencies can assist in protecting the election system at all levels. The inquiry comes as the the Senate Intelligence Committee will hold an open hearing June 21 to examine U.S. election security for the 2018 and 2020 elections and to assess Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections. Experts from the DHS, FBI, Illinois State Board of Elections, the National Association of State Election Directors and election cybersecurity expert J. Alex Halderman will testify. Last year, the personal information of as many as 90,000 voters […]

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Facebook loses first round in facial recognition class action suit

Users never gave consent to have their faces gobbled up, and Facebook never told them what it would do with the biometrics, the suit claims. Continue reading Facebook loses first round in facial recognition class action suit

The 307-Million-Year-Old ‘Tully Monster’ Finds Its Place on the Tree of Life

Tullimonstrum gregarium looks like a cross between a bath toy, a disembodied crab leg, and Star Wars bit character Sy Snootles. Continue reading The 307-Million-Year-Old ‘Tully Monster’ Finds Its Place on the Tree of Life