Cybersecurity Policy Report, DHS Offers Cybersecurity Advice for Inexpert State, Local Election Officials, (Sep 24, 2026)
State and local election administrators should be aware of “insider” cyber threats that result from their employment of large numbers of temporary workers while voting is underway, according to an election security plan published today by the Department of Homeland Security.
“Given the wide range of operational and short-term roles required to administer and support responsibilities during an election cycle, it is important to understand how insider threats—both intentional and unintentional—can introduce risks to conducting secure elections,” the plan says.
“An insider threat is the potential for an insider to use their authorized access or special knowledge of an organization to cause harm, whether maliciously or unintentionally,” it notes.
“Malicious” insiders might “engage in sabotage, theft, espionage, or fraud—for example, making unauthorized changes to voter registration databases, ballot definitions, tabulation configurations, or results-reporting processes,” while unintentional insider threats might involve “mishandling equipment, falling for phishing, or inserting unauthorized removable media into election systems,” it explains.
The election security plan was produced by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency at the request of DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, according to a news release.
“Election security is national security,” Secretary Mullin said. “This plan, which will be implemented in full, is crucial to the security, freeness, and fairness of choosing the leaders of our country.”
Aside from insider threats, election officials’ cyber defenses are hampered by a lack of resources, expertise, and up-to-date equipment, the plan notes. “CISA’s assessments show that state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) election offices frequently struggle with basic cybersecurity hygiene and vulnerability remediation,” it says.
It advises election officials to enact cybersecurity programs that include regular patching of known vulnerabilities, the use of paper ballots that provide “resilience against software failures or manipulation,” and post-election audits to verify results.
State and local election infrastructure received a “critical infrastructure” designation in 2017, the plan says, making it eligible for services that CISA provides at a low cost or free of charge, including training and vulnerability scanning.
News: FederalLegislation DataSecurity