Published on: September 17, 2024
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have issued a public alert regarding false information circulating about US voter registration data being compromised in cyberattacks.
The agencies say that these claims aren’t based on any verified incidents and appear to be part of efforts to undermine public confidence in the integrity of U.S. elections.
“The FBI and CISA have no information suggesting any cyberattack on U.S. election infrastructure has prevented an election from occurring, changed voter registration information, prevented an eligible voter from casting a ballot, compromised the integrity of any ballots cast, or disrupted the ability to count votes or transmit unofficial election results in a timely manner,” the agencies say.
The public service announcement (PSA) explains that malicious actors often use publicly available information to falsely present it as proof of security breaches.
“Malicious actors continue to spread false or misleading information in an attempt to manipulate public opinion and undermine confidence in U.S. democratic institutions,” the PSA reads. “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.”
The PSA clarifies that voter registration data is publicly accessible and can be obtained from official channels, meaning that possessing or sharing this data doesn’t indicate a breach of voting systems.
FBI and CISA also stress that foreign actors having access to this information doesn’t affect the voting process or alter election outcomes in any way. To date, intelligence agencies report no evidence of any cyberattack on US election infrastructure that has disrupted election procedures or caused any changes that would undermine the integrity of the voting process.
In the public service announcement, the FBI and CISA further advise the public to be vigilant of suspicious posts on social media, as well as emails, phone calls, or text messages that make unverified claims about election security.
For accurate information regarding election security, the agencies recommend consulting state and local election officials and only using official state and local election websites with “.gov” domains to obtain reliable information.