July 31, 2024 at 01:56PM
CISA and the FBI assure that DDoS attacks on election infrastructure may hinder public access to information but won’t compromise the integrity or security of the 2024 U.S. general election. Official sources should be consulted for election-related info, and any suspicious activity should be reported to the FBI. Such attacks won’t impact the actual voting process.
Based on the meeting notes, the key takeaways are:
1. DDoS attacks targeting election infrastructure will mostly hinder public access to information but will have no impact on the integrity or security of the 2024 U.S. general election processes.
2. Despite false claims in the past, there is no evidence that DDoS attacks have disrupted election results, prevented voters from casting ballots, or disrupted authorities’ ability to transmit election results.
3. Low-level DDoS attacks are expected to continue but will not impact the voting process itself.
4. The core data and internal systems related to election infrastructure will remain secure even if DDoS attacks are launched by cybercriminals or state-sponsored actors.
5. The FBI and CISA recommend that voters obtain information from official sources such as state and local election officials.
6. Voters are encouraged to report suspicious or criminal activity, like DDoS attacks, targeting election systems to their local FBI field office.
7. The FBI is responsible for investigating and prosecuting election crimes, hostile foreign influence operations, and malicious cyber activity targeting election infrastructure, while CISA helps secure election infrastructure from physical and cyber threats as the Sector Risk Management Agency for Election Infrastructure.
8. DDoS attacks are expected to be used against election infrastructure in the future, but they will not affect the security or integrity of the actual election.
9. Cyber activity attempting to compromise election infrastructure is unlikely to prevent voting or cause massive disruption.
These takeaways highlight the resilience of the U.S. election infrastructure against DDoS attacks and emphasize the importance of obtaining information from official sources and reporting any suspicious activity to the appropriate authorities.