Pierluigi Paganini September 29, 2020

The FBI and the US CISA issued a joint public service announcement about the threat of disinformation campaigns targeting the 2020 US election.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a joint public service announcement to warn of the threat of disinformation campaigns targeting the upcoming 2020 US election season.

Threat actors aim at delegitimate the result of the vote by actively spreading false information about successfully compromised voting systems and voter registration databases.

“During the 2020 election season, foreign actors and cyber criminals are
spreading false and inconsistent information through various online
platforms in an attempt to manipulate public opinion, sow discord, discredit the electoral process, and undermine confidence in U.S. democratic institutions.” reads the joint announcement. “These malicious actors could use these forums to also spread disinformation suggesting successful cyber operations have compromised election infrastructure and facilitated the “hacking” and “leaking” of U.S. voter registration data.”

The goal is to manipulate public sentiment and discredit the electoral process to weaken the trust in the US Government.

“During the 2020 election season, foreign actors and cyber criminals are
spreading false and inconsistent information through various online
platforms in an attempt to manipulate public opinion, sow discord, discredit the electoral process, and undermine confidence in U.S. democratic institutions.” continues the announcement. “These malicious actors could use these forums to also spread disinformation suggesting successful cyber operations have compromised election infrastructure and facilitated the “hacking” and “leaking” of U.S. voter registration data.”

The Government agencies confirmed that the availability of voter registration information in the past did not impact the voting process or election results.

Both agencies have no information “suggesting any cyberattack on U.S. election infrastructure has prevented an election from occurring, prevented a registered voter from casting a ballot, compromised the accuracy of voter registration information, or compromised the integrity of any ballots cast.”

The FBI and CISA recommend the US citizens to critically evaluate any information on the election, validating the sources and verifying the news they received.

Below the list of recommendations provided by the agencies to the American public to unmask disinformation attempts about cyberattacks on US election infrastructure and voter info:

• Seek out information from trustworthy sources, verify who produced the content, and consider their intent.
• Rely on state and local election officials for information about voter registration databases and voting systems.
• View early, unverified claims with a healthy dose of skepticism.
• Verify through multiple reliable sources any reports about compromises of voter information or voting systems, and consider searching for other reliable sources before sharing such information via social media or other avenues.
• Report potential election crimes—such as disinformation about the manner, time, or place of voting—to the FBI. 
• If appropriate, make use of in-platform tools offered by social media companies for reporting suspicious posts that appear to be spreading false or inconsistent information about voter information or voting systems. 

In early August, the Director of the U.S. National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) William Evanina shared information on ongoing operations aimed at influencing the 2020 U.S. election.

“Many foreign actors have a preference for who wins the election, which they express through a range of overt and private statements; covert influence efforts are rarer. We are primarily concerned about the ongoing and potential activity by China, Russia, and Iran” reads the press release published by the Office of the Director of the National Intelligence.

Evanina linked the efforts to Russia, China, and Iran, he explained, for example, that Russian actors are supporting President Trump’s candidacy with a coordinated effort on both Russian television and media.

According to US intelligence, Russia is carrying out campaigns to denigrate former Vice President Biden that is considered hostile by the Kremlin.

Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, 2020 Presidential election)

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