Election infrastructure has 'never been more secure,' CISA chief says

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With little than a week earlier nan 2024 statesmanlike election, nan infrastructure has "never been much secure," according to nan caput of nan national agency tasked pinch America's cyber defense.

Jen Easterly, nan head of nan Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), told ABC News' Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas that she has "incredible confidence" successful nan information of nan election.

"I understand why immoderate Americans person questions, because they've been subjected for years to a occurrence hose of disinformation, and it has undermined assurance successful nan predetermination systems and successful our antiauthoritarian institutions, but I person spent truthful overmuch clip connected nan crushed complete nan past 3 positive years pinch authorities and section predetermination officials who are connected nan beforehand lines of moving and managing and defending predetermination infrastructure, and I tin show you, I person unthinkable assurance that our predetermination infrastructure has ne'er been much secure," Easterly said during an question and reply astatine CISA headquarters.

"Election officials person ne'er been amended prepared to present safe and unafraid and free and adjacent elections for nan people," she said.

For example, she said that 97% of registered voters will formed a ballot successful jurisdictions wherever they'll get a insubstantial grounds that they themselves tin verify, which is "incredibly important," she said.

Voting machines are not connected to nan net and that is simply a "great root of protection."

That disinformation is being amplified by overseas adversaries, according to Easterly, who pointed to various examples of disinformation already being debunked -- specified arsenic a clone video of ballots being destroyed successful Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

She said overseas adversaries person 2 goals: to undermine American assurance successful nan predetermination and sow discord successful nan country.

"Within a day, nan national authorities utilized our tools, our forensic analysis, to affirm that it was a clone video, that it was a Russian manufactured video," she said. "So astatine nan extremity of nan day, we are going to thin very acold guardant erstwhile we spot inaccurate accusation that could undermine Americans spot successful elections."

CISA is besides responsible for advising predetermination officials connected nan beingness information of their election.

"As a retired Army officer, arsenic a combat seasoned who has been successful very vulnerable places wherever we've had flak jackets and, you know, we've been down layers of security, it is disconcerting to me, arsenic an American, to spot predetermination offices pinch bulletproof solid and panic buttons and barbed ligament fences," Easterly said. "That's not nan measurement it should beryllium successful America, and we cognize that these threats, harassment, bullying, swatting, threats of unit to predetermination officials and their families, predetermination officials of some parties mostly stemming from unfounded claims that nan 2020 predetermination was rigged."

The logo for nan Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) connected nan backmost of a merchandise from 2024, is photographed Sept. 1, 2024.

Jon Elswick/AP

She said predetermination workers are not "faceless bureaucrats," but alternatively friends and neighbors.

"They're not doing it for salary aliases for glory. They're doing it because they judge successful our democracy, and they merit respect, they merit gratitude, and they merit to beryllium safe," she said,

The head said caller incidents specified arsenic nan ballot boxes being group connected fire successful Oregon and Washington and nan denial of work onslaught against nan Georgia Secretary of State's agency are expected to hap but voters should beryllium assured location is nary effect connected their elections.

"What Americans should understand is these incidents will not effect nan information aliases integrity of votes being formed aliases those votes being counted arsenic cast. And predetermination officials person trained for this, they've exercised for it, they've prepared for this - each mode of scenarios, whether it's ballots that request to beryllium replaced aliases cyber information threats that request to beryllium dealt with, aliases for criminal activity for illustration fraudulent registrations that request to beryllium investigated And nan perpetrators held criminally accountable. Election officials are prepared for this. They're fresh for this to meet this moment."

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