The USC Election Cybersecurity Initiative’s regional workshops are back in full swing, providing essential tools and information to keep our electoral processes safe from cyber attacks. The initiative will be hosting two workshops per month throughout October and November, which are free and open to the public. With high-profile guests from each state, these regional, online events offer the latest state-specific information surrounding election security and campaign integrity. Here are some highlights from the September workshops:
On September 9th, the USC Election Cybersecurity Initiative Regional Workshop for Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska took place online.
Attendees were welcomed by the Iowa Secretary of State Paul D. Pate, who spoke about key takeaways from elections in 2020 and how we can use them looking towards the future. Last year, Iowa became only the second state in the U.S. to develop a Vulnerability Disclosure Program, which allowed private sector security researchers to test the state’s systems. This year, the Iowan government created the nation’s first “Cyber Escape Room,” an interactive online training session for election officials.
“Election cybersecurity remains a race without a finish line,” said Pate.
Jenna Griswold, Colorado Secretary of State, and John R. Ashcroft, Missouri Secretary of State, also shared perspectives on the ever-increasing challenges of disinformation, misinformation, and election interference. They elaborated the steps that their respective states are taking to combat these threats, such as Griswold’s Rapid Response Election Security Cyber Unit (RRESCU), designed specifically to combat foreign disinformation.
Congressman Don Bacon, R-Nebraska, outlined specific measures that can help protect voting systems from cyberattacks. To help citizens feel more confident about elections, Bacon suggests “increasing voter ID registration, replacing old voting machines, updating outdated voter registration systems, performing pre-election cyber checks on voting machines, and implementing cybersecurity education and training in all fifty states.”
“We want voting to be easy, but cheating impossible,” said Congressman Bacon.
Senator Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, informed attendees about what the Senate is doing to ensure preparedness for cyber threats. As a member of the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, Ernst focuses on the United State’s readiness to respond to attacks.
In its next stop along a nationwide virtual tour, the USC Election Cybersecurity Initiative hosted its Regional Workshop for Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina on September 23rd.
John H. Merrill, Secretary of State of Alabama, offered welcoming remarks and talked about the essential democratic values that continue to fuel our elections today. “We believe that the basic foundational principles for establishing successful elections begin with the voter rolls,” said Merrill.
Jude Meche, Chief Information Security Officer of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign, discussed how cybersecurity has been made a priority at various levels of government. He explained that the Senatorial campaign worked closely with the Department of Homeland Security, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and the FBI. “All three national party committees and the Biden campaign made IT security a central focus from top to bottom,” stated Meche.
Jasmine McNealy, Associate Director of the Marion B. Brechner First Amendment Project at the University of Florida, explained current issues surrounding the spread of disinformation and misinformation. She proposed that social media platforms manage the responsibility to combat the spread of false information online.
According to McNealy, “Misinformation and disinformation have been and continue to be an important issue, with respect to not just elections; it’s important to how we govern ourselves as a total community and society.”
University of Mississippi Instructor of Journalism Ellen Meacham talked about the challenges of voter communication and establishing confidence in the electoral process. She suggests that voters be well-informed about the ins-and-outs of governance and how elections are organized. “We know that the sense of opacity about how things work is a really good breeding ground for conspiracy and for distrust,” said Meacham.
Each workshop also includes presentations from esteemed USC faculty including Director of USC Center for Computer Security Systems Clifford Neuman, Misinformation Expert Sarah Mojarad, Crisis Communications Professor and Consultant Dave Quast, USC Election Cybersecurity Initiative Cybersecurity Fellow Maurice Turner, and International Elections Analyst Marie Harf, who all gave us important insight into today’s world of election cybersecurity, misinformation and disinformation, crisis response, and new security resources available from government and industry professionals.
Head to the USC Election Cybersecurity Initiative website for more information about the initiative and its upcoming workshops.