The massive federal government spending bill unveiled includes $380 million to help safeguard U.S. voting systems from cyber attacks, in what would be Congress’ first concrete steps to bolster election security since the 2016 presidential campaign was marred by allegations of Russian meddling. Ilia Kolochenko, CEO at High-Tech Bridge commented below.
Ilia Kolochenko, CEO at High-Tech Bridge:
“The efforts to protect democracy are undoubtedly laudable. However, one should keep in mind that a direct attack on voting systems is highly difficult and very expensive, as it will require some local access to many different systems and devices. Moreover, if spotted, the election results will likely be immediately cancelled.
Therefore, fake news and manipulation of public opinion via social networks will probably dominate attacking techniques. It is almost impossible to reliably prevent such tactics without implementing unreasonable censure and interference with the constitutional freedom of speech. Probably some resources should be thus allocated to educational campaigns and awareness to enable voters to distinguish fake and true news.”
