Ransomware Could Be Major Threat to 2020 Election

Ransomware could pose a significant threat to the US election infrastructure, as aging software and potentially vulnerable voting machines could be targeted by criminal elements or by foreign-based cyber-attacks.

According to NTT Ltd.’s global threat report for September, ransomware could be deployed and lay in wait to be activated on election day, or once voting machines are activated, and could pose a significant threat to voting processes and procedures, potentially bringing voting operations to a halt.

“Election threats from ransomware, or from other types of cyber-attacks, do not come solely from foreign governments,” the report said. “Cyber-attacks against the US election infrastructure can be launched by any criminal threat actor seeking financial gain.”

NTT claimed the US elections in November will involve a “a high stakes endeavor” in terms of ensuring and maintaining security, and threats to the US voting processes could involve: foreign interference, disinformation campaigns, potential changes in the US Postal Service operating procedures, ransomware attacks, aging technology (including hardware and end-of-life software), voter role purge, voter apathy – and particularly for this year – the fear of COVID-19 contagion at voting precincts.

“A cyber or physical attack on the election infrastructure, whether election systems or processes are interconnected or not, could potentially lead to overall election system dysfunction, errors in vote count, delays in voting results and erroneous election reporting,” the report said.

NTT claimed the most important elements of security are those which attackers will most likely target first, and the first line of defense against cyber-intrusion, and other threats, “must be a secure and resilient US election infrastructure.” NTT determined the threats to be in three areas: 

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