Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks are a common concern around elections, particularly those using electronic voting systems.
Ahead of the 2024 US presidential election, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released a joint statement stating that DDoS attacks will not compromise the integrity of the upcoming election.
Even if attackers were to launch a large-scale DDoS attack against the election infrastructure, both security agencies have assured that core data and internal systems will remain intact and voting can continue for all eligible voters.
Threat actors seek to undermine electoral integrity
“These low-level attacks, which are expected to continue as we approach the 2024 U.S. general election, could disrupt the availability of some election-related features, such as voter search tools or unofficial election night reporting, during the election cycle, but will not impact voting itself,” a joint statement said.
“Threat actors may falsely claim that DDoS attacks are indicative of an election-related breach as they seek to undermine confidence in U.S. elections. In recent years, DDoS attacks have been a popular tactic used by hacktivists and cybercriminals seeking to advance a social, political, or ideological cause,” the statement continued.
It is no secret that state-sponsored groups and cybercriminals have attempted and will continue to attempt to disrupt elections, and both agencies remind voters to obtain information from official sources, especially on the topics of voter registration, voting by mail, election results, and polling places.
Voters should report suspicious or criminal activity targeting election systems to a local FBI office by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or using the online service at ic3.gov.
CISA Senior Advisor Cait Conley reassured those heading to the polls in November, saying, “With less than 100 days until Election Day, it’s important to help put into context some of the incidents the American public may see during the election cycle that, while they may cause some minor disruption, will not fundamentally impact the security or integrity of the democratic process.”
“DDoS attacks are an example of a tactic we've seen used against election infrastructure in the past and will likely see again in the future, but they will NOT impact the security or integrity of actual elections,” Conley concluded.
Through Computer beeping
