{"id":90102,"date":"2020-11-01T06:56:54","date_gmt":"2020-11-01T11:56:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/?p=90102"},"modified":"2020-11-01T07:04:50","modified_gmt":"2020-11-01T12:04:50","slug":"auto-draft-294","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/2020\/11\/01\/auto-draft-294\/","title":{"rendered":"US Bracing for Attacks Before and After Election Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"VOA \u2014 WASHINGTON – For much of the past four years, United States cybersecurity officials responsible for preventing foreign meddling in elections have been preparing for an attack that, at least to the public\u2019s knowledge, has never come.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While U.S. intelligence concluded that Russia, China and Iran\u00a0\u201cconducted influence activities and messaging campaigns\u201d during the 2018 elections, it said there was nothing like what happened in 2016 when Russia combined an aggressive influence operation\u00a0with\u00a0the work of\u00a0hackers<\/a>\u00a0who\u00a0managed to penetrate election-related systems in all 50 states.<\/p>\n

None of the three countries did anything that changed any votes to affect the outcome of the election.<\/p>\n

This election, which\u00a0will reach its\u00a0crescendo\u00a0when voters go to the polls November 3, is different.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"US<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Unprecedented\u00a02020\u00a0election <\/strong><\/p>\n

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many states\u00a0this year have\u00a0expanded absentee and mail-in voting.<\/p>\n

Data collected by the U.S. Elections Project<\/a> finds that\u00a0by October 29 more than 82 million voters had\u00a0voted by mail or cast their ballots at early voting centers.<\/p>\n

U.S. intelligence officials have already confirmed attacks on\u00a0the election have been underway for some time, with\u00a0Russia, China and Iran all waging operations designed to\u00a0influence\u00a0the way voters cast their ballots.<\/p>\n

And more recently, intelligence officials\u00a0warned\u00a0that\u00a0Russia and Iran managed to\u00a0acquire\u00a0voter registration data while\u00a0hacking into U.S. databases.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\"Photo<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Russia, Iran Ramp Up Attacks In Attempt to Meddle in US Election, Officials Warn<\/div>\n
Election security officials disclosed Thursday cyber actors linked to Moscow and Tehran have expanded their hacking and influence efforts in recent weeks, warning more attacks are likely<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

In another\u00a0significant difference\u00a0from the\u00a02016 and 2018\u00a0elections,\u00a0intelligence and election security officials warn that, this time, the assault on the election will not end when the polls close. Instead, they say the attacks will persist, likely until at least the presidential inauguration\u00a0on\u00a0January\u00a020, 2021.<\/p>\n

Here are the threats that have U.S. officials most worried as Election Day approaches:<\/p>\n

Foreign\u00a0Influence\u00a0Operations <\/strong><\/p>\n

U.S. counterintelligence officials began warning\u00a0in August\u00a0about influence campaigns by the big three \u2013 Russia, China and Iran.<\/p>\n

In a rare public statement<\/a>,\u00a0National Counterintelligence and Security Center\u202f(NCSC)\u00a0Director William\u202fEvanina\u202fwarned\u00a0that each of the\u00a0three countries had a\u00a0preference between\u00a0President Donald Trump\u00a0and\u00a0former Vice President\u00a0Joe Biden and\u00a0had\u00a0ongoing\u00a0influence operations\u00a0to help their favorite.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe assess that Russia is using a range of measures to primarily denigrate former Vice President\u202fBiden,\u201d\u00a0Evanina\u00a0said in the statement, adding, \u201cSome Kremlin-linked actors are also seeking to boost President Trump\u2019s candidacy on social media and Russian television.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe assess that China prefers that President Trump \u2013 whom Beijing sees as unpredictable \u2013 does not win reelection,\u201d\u202fEvanina\u202fsaid.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Iran,\u00a0Evanina\u00a0said, is \u201cdriven by a perception that President Trump\u2019s reelection would result in a continuation of U.S. pressure on Iran in an effort to foment regime change.\u201d<\/p>\n

A month later, FBI Director Christopher Wray warned lawmakers<\/a> that Russian efforts were\u00a0\u201cvery, very active\u201d on social media, on its own state-run media and through various proxies.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The nation\u2019s top intelligence official, though, has focused more on the threat from China.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t mean to minimize Russia,\u201d Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe told Fox Business News on August 30.\u00a0\u00a0“But the threats that we face from China are significantly greater…anyone who sees intelligence knows that.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Other top intelligence officials agree China is a greater threat to the U.S. over the long-term, though they maintain Russia presents the biggest threat to the election itself.<\/p>\n

Officials also caution that Russia, China and Iran are not alone.<\/p>\n

Evanina\u00a0told Hearst Television October 8<\/a>, \u201cWe probably have 30 countries out there wanting to play in the influence game,\u201d a list that includes U.S. allies like Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, and adversaries like Cuba and Venezuela.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\"Example<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>
Example of Locky ransomware (Christiaan Colen via Flicker Creative Commons 2.0)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ransomware Attacks\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Despite the ongoing threat, U.S. election officials have been expressing confidence about the status of the country\u2019s election-related networks and systems.<\/p>\n

“This will be the most secure election in modern history,”\u00a0Christopher Krebs, the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency\u00a0(CISA), proclaimed in September, and not for the first time.<\/p>\n

Krebs made similar comments as far back as at least July, noting the U.S. has sensors in place\u00a0to\u00a0detect possible intrusions into critical computer systems and networks. And 92% of states have systems in place\u00a0to ensure there is a paper record of every vote cast.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\"A<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
US Officials Promising \u2018Most Secure Election in Modern History\u2019<\/div>\n
The officials say while the November presidential election will not be risk free, defense and back-up systems should guarantee a free and fair result<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

\u00a0But\u00a0because election-related systems and networks are more secure than they have ever been, officials expect Russia, China, Iran and other U.S. adversaries to try an indirect attack.<\/p>\n

\u201cRansomware remains a\u00a0threat,”\u00a0Krebs told a cybersecurity summit<\/a> in September.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Officials expect the\u00a0ransomware \u2013 malicious software that denies users access to computers or networks unless they pay up\u00a0\u2013 is likely to target systems which are related but not central to the election.<\/p>\n

“We see cascading impacts where internet is lost, connectivity to websites is lost,”\u00a0said Matt Masterson, the Department of Homeland Security\u2019s senior adviser for election security.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

In an updated threat assessment, the\u00a0New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness\u00a0further\u00a0warned,\u00a0\u201cThough it might not affect getting accurate votes, it\u00a0[ransomware]\u00a0could still impact vote-tallying systems.\u201d<\/p>\n