FBI warn that foreign hackers will likely spread disinformation around election results

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The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warned on Tuesday that foreign malicious hackers will likely attempt to spread disinformation around election results later this year. The agencies put out a public service announcement warning that delays in final tallies caused by a larger number of mail-in ballots and other factors could fuel the disinformation efforts online.

Th agencies said, state and local officials typically require several days to weeks to certify elections final results in order to ensure every legally cast vote is accurately counted. The increased use of mail-in ballots due to COVID-19 protocols could leave officials with incomplete results on election night.

The agencies warned that foreign actors and cybercriminals could exploit the time required to certify and announce elections results by disseminating disinformation that includes reports of voter suppression, cyberattacks targeting election infrastructure, voter or ballot fraud and other problems intended to convince the public of the elections illegitimacy.

The FBI and CISA noted that the foreign malicious actors could carry out their interference through a variety of online tools.

The agencies said, foreign actors and cybercriminals could create new websites, change existing websites, and create or share corresponding social media content to spread false information in an attempt to discredit the electoral process and undermine confidence in U.S. democratic institutions.

The FBI and CISA recommended that the public rely on trusted state and local election officials for information around vote tallies, emphasizing that even if foreign hackers were able to gain access to state and local election websites, they would not be able to comprise underlying internal systems and data.

The agencies did not mention any specific countries in warning of the election disinformation threat.