Despite new protections, heightened awareness and information-sharing across all levels of government, election officials and cybersecurity experts worry that a cyberattack from Russia or other foreign actors may capitalize on plummeting confidence in election integrity among American voters, fueled by myths and disinformation that have saturated the country, reports Pew Stateline. An attack on a key jurisdiction, such as a county in a swing state, could put enough doubt in voters’ minds that the results can’t be trusted, even if votes weren’t changed in the attack, say experts.
Mike Hamilton, chief information security officer for the cybersecurity firm Critical Insight, warned that disinformation campaigns will continue, as will focused attacks against counties where officials may be vulnerable to phishing attacks. Meanwhile, officials in states like Michigan and Minnesota have begun distributing millions of dollars in federal grant funding for jurisdictions to boost their election cybersecurity efforts ahead of the midterms. President Joe Biden has proposed $10 billion over the next decade to bolster the country’s elections infrastructure.