The US election system has safeguards. But human nature is a vulnerability

WASHINGTON -- Hacking a section predetermination strategy successful nan United States wouldn't beryllium easy, and secretly altering votes connected a standard monolithic capable to alteration nan result of nan statesmanlike title would beryllium impossible, predetermination officials person said, acknowledgment to decentralized systems, insubstantial records for astir each ballots, exhaustive reviews, ineligible owed process and decades of activity by American predetermination officials, volunteers and citizens.

But overseas actors and home extremist groups looking to meddle successful next week's election tin target a overmuch weaker link: voters' perceptions and emotions. Those intent connected undermining assurance successful U.S. populist don't person to alteration immoderate votes if they tin person capable Americans not to spot nan outcome.

It's a imaginable script peculiarly concerning to intelligence analysts and officials tasked pinch protecting America's election: An adversary tries to hack a authorities aliases section predetermination strategy and past releases a archive — possibly a clone 1 aliases moreover worldly that is publically disposable — and suggests it's grounds of ballot rigging.

Or, a video is crafted showing personification supposedly hacking into a ballot scanner, voting machine aliases a authorities elector registration system. But it hasn't happened, and it would not beryllium true.

It's called a cognition hack, which whitethorn aliases whitethorn not see an existent breach of voting systems but is made to look that has happened. In immoderate cases, insignificant accusation mightiness beryllium stolen — capable for a video to look morganatic — but it does not alteration votes. A related threat involves clone footage supposedly depicting predetermination workers destroying ballots.

In either case, nan extremity is nan same: to make confusion, distrust and fear.

Governments astatine each levels person worked to fortify predetermination infrastructure successful caller years. The quality brain, however, remains difficult to defend.

“I deliberation that’s almost definite to happen,” erstwhile CIA governmental expert Adam Darrah said erstwhile discussing nan consequence of cognition hacks.

Darrah, now vice president of intelligence astatine nan cybersecurity institution ZeroFox, said misleading group into reasoning predetermination systems are susceptible is simply a batch easier than really hacking into them. ”It’s a measurement to induce panic. We are very technically resilient. Our affectional resilience, our hypersensitivity, that’s still a challenge.”

Narrow margins of triumph aliases delays successful ballot counting could heighten nan consequence that a cognition hack could fool a ample number of voters, further polarizing nan electorate, raising nan consequence of governmental unit and perchance complicating nan transportation of powerfulness successful January.

Intelligence officials warned past week that Russia and Iran whitethorn see encouraging convulsive protests successful nan U.S. pursuing nan election. The nation’s intelligence organization and backstage analysts work together that while the Kremlin is backing erstwhile President Donald Trump, Moscow’s eventual extremity is to divide Americans and undermine U.S. support for Ukraine and nan NATO alliance.

America’s adversaries focus connected disinformation successful part, officials say, because they understand nan country’s predetermination infrastructure is excessively unafraid to hack successfully.

Despite nan findings of intelligence officials, some Russia and Iran person rejected claims that they are seeking to power nan U.S. election.

“We person ne'er interfered, we are not interfering, and we do not intend to interfere," a spokesperson for nan Russian Embassy successful Washington wrote successful an email to The Associated Press.

Even without a overseas power's involvement, isolated stories of agelong lines astatine nan polls, ballot mix-ups aliases other irregularities could beryllium held up arsenic impervious that elections can’t beryllium trusted.

It happened successful 2020, erstwhile Trump amplified claims astir predetermination problems, helping lead to the Jan. 6, 2021, onslaught connected nan U.S. Capitol by his supporters trying to disrupt certification of nan election.

The erstwhile Republican president has spent months laying nan groundwork to situation nan results of this year's predetermination if he loses. And he has worked to person his supporters that nan only measurement he tin suffer is if Democrats cheat, urging them to present a triumph “too large to rig.”

“They cheat,” Trump said astatine a Michigan rally past month. “That’s nan only measurement we’re going to lose, because they cheat. They cheat for illustration hell.”

Just arsenic successful 2020, nan days instantly aft nan predetermination are apt to beryllium the astir critical, arsenic results are announced and Americans travel to nan end of a contentious race.

It's past that authoritarian nations aliases home anti-democratic groups will look to whip up distrust successful an effort to spur group into action, said Paul Barrett, a New York University rule professor who studies online sermon and polarization.

“They're happy to spot Americans astatine nan throats of different Americans,” Barrett said. “We saw that successful 2021, and I person tremendous worry that we will spot a repeat.”

In response, nationalist information and predetermination officials crossed nan state person moved to expose disinformation and quickly sound down rumors. Top intelligence officials person held aggregate briefings outlining overseas threats, while cybersecurity and predetermination officials person explained why predetermination systems are secure.

Last week, a video purporting to show personification destroying message ballots successful Pennsylvania began spreading connected societal media. Bipartisan predetermination officials successful Bucks County quickly debunked nan video, and intelligence officials linked it to a Russian campaign down different videos seeking to smear Vice President Kamala Harris, nan Democratic nominee, and her moving mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

“That video was debunked beautiful quickly connected aggregate news sites, and I cognize that Bucks County instantly sewage retired successful beforehand of it and fundamentally explained why it was a clone and why voters should person confidence,” said Kim Wyman, erstwhile caput of authorities successful Washington authorities who besides has worked astatine nan Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

“But nan problem is — now it exists retired there,” she said. "And we cognize that it will proceed to beryllium circulated betwixt now and astir apt Inauguration Day.”

Americans tin thief forestall a successful cognition hack by not spreading predetermination hoaxes immoderate further. Disinformation experts impulse voters to consult a assortment of sources of information, beryllium skeptical of anonymous societal media claims and move to their ain authorities and section officials for nan facts.

Uncertainty and emotions will beryllium moving precocious successful nan days aft voting ends — precisely nan conditions overseas adversaries and home extremists request to undermine trust.

“Our overseas adversaries are looking to onslaught our antiauthoritarian process to further their ain objectives, and we request nan thief of each Americans successful ensuring they are not successful,” said CISA elder advisor Cait Conley. ”Americans should beryllium assured that their votes will beryllium counted arsenic cast. They should besides cognize that our overseas adversaries will effort to make them judge otherwise."

"We promote everyone to stay vigilant, verify nan accusation they consume, and trust connected trusted sources for illustration their authorities and section predetermination officials,” she added.

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Cassidy reported from Atlanta. Associated Press writer Jill Colvin successful New York contributed to this report.