States brace for ransomware assaults on voter registries
Extortionists have recently shut down municipal computer systems in Texas, Maryland, Florida and New York, threatening to erase databases unless the cities pay a ransom. Now officials around the country are concerned the tool the hackers used, known as ransomware, could be tapped to target state voter registration rolls and disrupt confidence as the nation heads into the 2020 election.
Illinois, for example, is making its voter registration database accessible only from a closed fiber optic network, rather than the open internet, according to Matt Deitrich, a spokesman for the State Board of Elections. The Prairie State is making progress, though it still has a way to go, he says. Less than a third of its 108 jurisdictions currently connect to the database via the dedicated network.
The security effort is worth it, Deitrich says. If a hacker successfully hits even one county's election agency with ransomware, that can create the impression the whole system is compromised. "It's a phenomenon that can undermine voter confidence," Deitrich said.
Ransomware would be a new feature of election hacking, which came to public attention after intelligence officials said Russian hackers probed voter registries during the 2016 presidential campaign. A ransomware attack in 2020 could prove devastating, preventing voters from registering or poll workers from confirming voter eligibility, officials say. The hackers' goal wouldn't be changing the votes that were cast, but spreading doubt that eligible voters were able to make their voices heard.
https://www.cnet.com/news/states-prepare-for-ransomware-attacks-on-voter-registries/
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