Claims of hacked US voter data are likely misinformation, FBI warns
The FBI and CISA warn of attempts by malicious actors to “sow distrust” in the US electoral system.
The US FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have released a joint public service announcement warning of attempts to undermine public trust ahead of the US presidential election at the end of this year.
According to CISA and the FBI, malicious actors are spreading claims that they have successfully compromised registered voter data through cyberattacks.
“Malicious actors continue to spread false or misleading information in an attempt to manipulate public opinion and undermine trust in American democratic institutions,” the Sept. 12 announcement said.
“One of the most common tactics involves using obtained voter registration information as evidence to support false claims that a cyber operation compromised election infrastructure.”
As the announcement notes, voter data can be obtained through various legitimate means and then used to support claims of compromises and data breaches.
“The reality is that having access to voter registration data is not in itself an indicator that the voter registration database is compromised,” the announcement said.
“Most information about American voters can be purchased or otherwise legitimately acquired through publicly available sources.”
And even when threat actors seized voter registration data, “the acquisition of this data did not affect the voting process or election results.”
Speaking as clearly as possible, CISA and the FBI said they had no information that such an attack had ever changed voter information, delayed an election, prevented a registered voter from exercising their democratic right to vote, or interfered with the counting of votes once the polls are over. They have closed.
“The FBI and CISA urge the American public to critically evaluate allegations of ‘hacked’ or ‘leaked’ election information and to remember that most voter registration information is available to the public,” the announcement said.
