In a world that’s more connected than ever, the integrity of the democratic process is under unprecedented threat from state-sponsored malicious actors and other cybercriminals.
Using sophisticated technology and exploiting digital vulnerabilities, these adversaries have the power to influence elections on a global scale.
The tactics of these cybercriminals, from hacking voter databases to launching disinformation campaigns, are diverse and continue to evolve. As nations grapple with this danger, the integrity of free and fair elections is under threat.
State-sponsored threat actors are typically the most well-funded and well-resourced cyber threat groups, says Luke McNamara, deputy chief analyst of Mandiant Intelligence, now part of Google Cloud. This often makes them quite effective in their missions.
Steve Tcherchian, CISO of cybersecurity company XYPRO.com, agrees that nation-state malicious actors and other cybercriminals will be significant threats to the electoral process and public opinion in the U.S. this year.
“We are already seeing disinformation campaigns on social media and fake news websites to polarize opinions and create distrust, And as we saw in previous years, we could also see email accounts hacked, with sensitive information leaked at opportune (or inopportune) times to discredit political figures and sway voters.”
Steve Tcherchian, CISO
XYPRO Technology
Tools such as ChatGPT allow threat actors to create a more robust and manipulative language for incorporation into their messaging, he says.
The ability to generate and/or manipulate images, videos, and audio can have a huge impact on the emotions of the intended target audience that adheres to the notion that “seeing is believing.”
