How Can Election Officials Prevent Future Hacking | Meet The Press

>>>. >>> I'M A PROFESSOR OF COMPUTER
SCIENCE AND HAVE SPENT THE LAST TEN YEARS STUDYING THE
ELECTRONIC VOTING SYSTEMS OUR NATION RELIES ON.
MY CONCLUSION FROM THAT WORK IS THAT OUR HIGHLY COMPUTERIZED
ELECTION INFRASTRUCTURE IS VULNERABLE TO SABOTAGE AND EVEN
TO CYBERATTACKS THAT COULD CHANGE VOTES.
>> WELCOME BACK. THAT WAS TESTIMONY FROM LAST
MONTH AS PART OF THE SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE'S
INVESTIGATION INTO RUSSIA'S INTERFERENCE IN THE 2016
ELECTION. QUESTIONS ARE STILL SWIRLING
OVER THE SAFETY OF OUR ELECTION SUPPORTS AND WHETHER THEY COULD
BE SUSCEPTIBLE TO MORE HACKING. A REPORT TODAY IN THE WALL
STREET JOURNAL DETAILS A PER PLEKSING STORY OUT OF SOUTH
CAROLINA. ON ELECTION DAY ALONE THE SOUTH
CAROLINA STATE ELECTION COMMISSION REPORTS THAT THERE
WERE NEARLY 150,000 ATTEMPTS TO PENETRATE THE STATE'S VOTER
REGISTRATION SYSTEM. THE STATE SAYS THEY'VE SEEN NO
EVIDENCE THAT THE ATTACKS SUCCEEDED.
BUT IN ILLINOIS HACKERS DID ACCESS VOTER RECORDS FOR AROUND
90,000 PEOPLE MONTHS BEFORE ELECTION DAY.
THE STATE SAYS NO INFORMATION WAS ALTERED AND THE ISSUE WAS
RESOLVED BEFORE VOTERS WENT TO THE POLLS.
THE HACKERS THERE HAVEN'T BEEN PUBLICLY IDENTIFIED, ABOUT UT
THE SECURITY CONCERNS ARE SO WIDESPREAD ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
HERE IS WHAT A DHS OFFICIAL TOLD THE SENATE INTELLIGENCE
COMMITTEE LAST MONTH. >> AS OF RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE
EVIDENCE OF 21 STATES ELECTION RELATED SYSTEMS IN 21 STATES
THAT WERE TARGETED. >> JOINING ME NOW IS ANOTHER
PANELIST WHO SPOKE TO THE SENATE INTEL COMMITTEE AND A MEMBER OF
THE EXECUTIVE BOARD OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF STATE
ELECTION DIRECTORS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR JOINING
US. LET'S JUST GET INTO IT.
SOUTH CAROLINA, 150,000 ATTEMPTS.
WHY WOULD THEY DO THAT TO A STATE THAT'S NOT EVEN A SWING
STATE? >> WELL, GOOD AFTERNOON, KATIE.
I THINK THERE'S PAY COUPLE OF IMPORTANT NOTES.
ONE IS THAT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT HACKING OF ELECTION SYSTEMS, WE
CANNOT SAY IT ENOUGH, THAT IS POTENTIAL HACKING OF THE VOTER
REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, WHICH ARE SEPARATE FROM AND NOT CONNECTED
TO THE VOTING EQUIPMENT. SECONDLY, IN CASES LIKE SOUTH
CAROLINA, ALTHOUGH YOU'D HAVE TO SPEAK TO EACH STATE
INDIVIDUALLY,IBLE IT'S COMMON FOR ALLSTATE GOVERNMENT IT
SYSTEMS TO HAVE ROUTINE ATTEMPTS FOR COMPUTER BOTS TO BE CHECKING
THE VULNERABILITY OF THE SYSTEMS.
THE WAY IT'S BEEN EXPLAINED IN LAY TERMS REALLY IS KNOCKING ON
THE DOOR, RATTLING THE DOORKNOBS TO CHECK TO SEE IF SYSTEMS ARE
VULNERABLE. NOT NECESSARILY INDIVIDUALS
INTENTIONALLY TRYING TO HACK INTO AN ELECTION SYSTEM.
>> WHY THE VOTER ROLLS SPECIFICALLY.
>> WELL, IT'S A GOOD QUESTION. I GUESS YOU WOULD HAVE TO ASK
THE INDIVIDUALS ATTEMPTING TO GET INTO THE VOTER ROLLS.
OF THE RISKS, THERE ARE A COUPLE.
THE VOTER REGISTRATION SYSTEMS ARE WHAT CREATE THE POLL LISTS
AT THE POLLS SO WHEN VOTERS ARE CHECKING IN, IF IT'S POSSIBLE TO
MANIPULATOR DELETE DATA, THAT COULD CREATE SOME CONFUSION AT
THE POLLS, WHICH IN TURN COULD CREATE SOME LACK OF CONFIDENCE
IN THE ELECTION SYSTEM. THERE'S ALSO THE RISK OF HAVING
INACCURATE DATA, REQUIRING PEOPLE TO REGISTER AGAIN.
AND THERE ARE ALSO SOME PRIVACY CONCERNS.
SOME OF THE DATA THAT IS IN THE VOTER REGISTRATION SYSTEMS IS
CONFIDENTIAL SUCH AS A BIRTH DATE AND OFTEN A DRIVER LICENSE
NUMBER. >> DO WE KNOW WHO DID THIS EVEN
BROADLY? DO WE KNOW IF IT WAS A FOREIGN
STATE GOVERNMENT, POTENTIALLY THE RUSSIANS?
>> ON A STATE LEVEL, I DON'T BELIEVE WE DO.
THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY INDICATED THAT IT HAD
NOTIFIED ANY STATE THAT WAS TARGETED.
WISCONSIN, FOR INSTANCE, HAS NOT BEEN NOTIFIED THAT IT WAS TARGD
WE'VE HEARD FROM THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.
THEY WERE NOT TOLD IN THEIR CASE THAT IT WAS RUSSIA OR ANY
FOREIGN ACTOR. >> YOUR COPANELISTS SAID THAT
THEY HAVE ED OF 21 STATES THAT WERE AFFECTED.
WERE THOSE STATES THAT WERE POTENTIALLY SWING STATES IN THIS
ELECTION? >> TO BE HONEST, KATIE, WE DON'T
KNOW. THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY HAS NOT SHARED THAT LIST PUBLICLY.
>> SO WHAT DO YOU DO IN ORDER TO STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING?
>> I THINK THERE'S A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT STATES CAN DO.
ELECTION SECURITY, SECURITY OF THE VOTER REGISTRATION SYSTEMS
AND THE VOTING EQUIPMENT, ARE THOSE HAVE BEEN TOP PRIORITIES
FOR ELECTION OFFICIALS FOR OVER A DECADE.
THE NEW FACTOR IS POTENTIAL INVOLVEMENT OF FOREIGN ACTORS
AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, BEING PART OF OUR COMMUNICATION
STRUCTURE WHICH NOW INCLUDES STATE OFFICIAL, LOCAL ELECTION
OFFICIALS, LAW ENFORCEMENT, EMERGENCY PLAN NERS AT ALL
LEVELS. NOW WE HAVE THE DEPARTMENT OF
HUMAN LAND SECURITY AND THE FBI AND OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES THAT
WE NEED TO BRING INTO THE LOOP. WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR
COMMUNICATION IS TIMELY AND EFFECTIVE SO THAT WHEN THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT KNOWS ABOUT A POTENTIAL HACKING SITUATION,
THEY SHARE THAT INFORMATION WITH THE STATES.
>> MICHAEL, HOW CONCERNED SHOULD PEOPLE BE?
>> WELL, AS I SAID, THIS HAS BEEN A PRIORITY FOR ELECTION
OFFICIALS. IT CERTAINLY BECAME MORE OF A
PUBLIC FOCUS IN 2016. BUT I THINK THE INVOLVEMENT OF
THE PUBLIC IS IMPORTANT. THERE ARE A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES
FOR THE PUBLIC TO OBSERVE ELECTIONS, OBSERVE THE TESTING
OF VOTING EQUIPMENT. A NUMBER OF STATES PARTICIPATE
IN VOTER DATA MATCHING PROGRAMS, LIKE THE CONSORTIUM OF 20 STATES
AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. WE SHARE DATA ACROSS STATE LINES
TO CHECK FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE MAYBE DIED IN ANOTHER STATE
OR MOVED TO ANOTHER STATE SO THAT WE CAN KEEP OUR VOTER
REGISTRATION LISTS UP-TO-DATE. SO I THINK THE MESSAGE FOR THE
PUBLIC IS THAT STATE ELECTION OFFICIALS HAVE BEEN WORKING ON
THIS ISSUE IN A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT WAYS OVER THE YEARS.
OUR JOB IS REALLY TO STAY AHEAD OF THE CURVE TO MAKE SURE WE'RE
AWARE OF NEW TECHNOLOGY, NEW RISKS, SPEAR FISHING ATTEMPTS,
AND WE COMMUNICATE PROPERLY SO THAT THE PUBLIC CAN HAVE
CONFIDENCE IN

How Can Election Officials Prevent Future Hacking | Meet The Press | MSNBC

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