While foreign states interfered in the 2016 United States presidential election, the impact on the election outcome is unknown. This paper looks at the fears, realities, and best possible ways to mitigate election hacking in 2020 and beyond.
Election 2020 Fears: What’s Real and What’s (Probably) Not
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In 2016, the integrity of the United States’ presidential election was compromised by foreign state interference, particularly by Russia. It is widely understood that there was foreign interference in the U.S. election process, but it is unknown to what extent this changed the outcome of the election (if at all), as there are no indications that votes were changed.
According to the Mueller Report, Russian entities engaged in both the spread of disinformation through social media, as well as computer-intrusion operations to steal data and release stolen documents. Public perception often mischaracterizes these events as “hacking” the election infrastructure.
In this paper, we will examine the risks and realities of election “hacking” as currently reported. We will consider the a) fear, b) reality, and c) best possible mitigation for the hacking of voter registration, electronic poll books, voting machines, and election night reporting, as well as the overarching threat of ransomware.