U.S. election security officials are warning the American public to prepare for a new worst-case scenario for the November 3 presidential election, in which voters awaiting results hours after polls close suddenly discover a flood of disinformation that casts doubt on the results and the election process.
Officials also warn that these potential attacks could be widespread, making the American public suspicious of even information obtained from normally trusted sources.
The FBI’s (FBI) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a public service announcement Tuesday evening warning that “foreign actors and cybercriminals may create new websites, alter existing websites, and produce or share relevant social media content to spread false information.”
The notice says, “The FBI and CISA urge the American public to critically evaluate the sources of the information they consume and pick out reliable and verified information from trusted sources, such as state or local election officials.” The notice says, “The public should also be aware that if a foreign actor or cybercriminal is able to successfully alter an election-related website, the underlying data and internal systems remain unaffected.”
This concern is not new. In recent months, federal and state election security officials have been trying to tell voters that it could be days before presidential election results are announced due to an expected increase in the use of mail-in ballots as a result of the new coronavirus outbreak.
U.S. counterintelligence officials have also warned that countries such as China, Russia, and Iran, as well as other cyber actors, have been conducting influence operations to “undermine the American people’s trust in our democratic process.”
But the latest notices from the FBI and CISA offer additional warnings, outlining how U.S. adversaries may try to mislead the American public through the Internet and social media.
Shutting down an influx of disinformation as the polls close can be challenging.
However, some election officials feel that social media companies have been willing to meet regularly with them over the past few months to discuss the issue of misinformation, and that some of the efforts they have taken have had an effect, giving them reason for hope.
Facebook on Tuesday shut down more than 150 accounts, pages, and groups related to China, some of which were aimed at the U.S. election.
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