Connecticut’s Deputy Secretary of the State writes in an Op Ed. "This year, there are forces both foreign and domestic that are placing unprecedented stress and strain on our system of elections….The forces arrayed against us are formidable. The challenge to our democracy is real.….The Connecticut National Guard, at the direction of the Secretary of the State, will perform a high-level assessment of the cybersecurity posture of each town as it relates to their election infrastructure. ….Our office has already identified approximately 20 municipalities that have chronic issues with their connections to networks necessary for the election process. ..Secretary Merrill’s plan also puts recently approved CARES Act funding to work in each of our communities by providing the support necessary to have safe polling places in this time of the COVID-19 pandemic health crisis. "
It’’s not clear what New York is doing to protect New York elections from cyber attack.. If you have any information or press releases from the NYS Board of Elections about New York’s cybersecurity preparedness or distribution of CARES funds, please share and I will send it around.
Allegra Dengler
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https://www.theday.com/op-edguest-opinions/20200504/our-challenge-our-answer-election-2020
Our Challenge; Our Answer: Election 2020
Published May 04. 2020 9:14AM
Scott Bates
This year, there are forces both foreign and domestic that are placing unprecedented stress and strain on our system of elections.
Authoritarian regimes opposed to American democracy continue to launch cyberattacks against election systems in the United States. They possess the capabilities to significantly disrupt the 2020 election cycle, thus undermining public confidence in the fairness and accuracy of election results. Disinformation campaigns being run by these authoritarian states (Russia, China, Iran, and others) are currently sowing division and discord in the American electorate and can be weaponized to spread false information about the election process itself. We can expect these efforts to intensify, all in an attempt to undermine public confidence in the election system and by extension in democracy itself.
In addition to this foreign threat to the integrity of our elections, here at home a once in a century pandemic has created an unprecedented strain on election systems across the country. The ranks of election workers, donned in the gear of first responders, are thinned out due to the crisis. Our ability to conduct a general election in a pandemic is untested, and the public is rightfully concerned. Such fear may cause election officials to abandon their posts. Such fears may cause voters to stay home (and under current conditions in Connecticut) be denied their right to vote.
The forces arrayed against us are formidable. The challenge to our democracy is real.
Our answer to the challenge before us is to build these partnerships and marshal our forces behind a plan that ensures Connecticut’s elections will be safe, secure, and accessible for all voters.
Congressman Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, and Connecticut’s congressional delegation have secured over $10 million to help our office secure election systems from cyberattack, along with additional funds to prepare our polling places for operating in a time of pandemic. Today, Secretary of the State Denise Merrill is announcing her plan to put those resources to work in every town in this state.
The Connecticut National Guard, at the direction of the Secretary of the State, will perform a high-level assessment of the cybersecurity posture of each town as it relates to their election infrastructure. This will help us target the greatest vulnerabilities in our election’s system.
Our office has already identified approximately 20 municipalities that have chronic issues with their connections to networks necessary for the election process. We are providing upgrades to these towns’ networks to eliminate cyber “hot spots” that present potential security risks. Additionally, our office will provide matching grants to municipalities that commit to investing in upgrading outmoded workstations that are vulnerable to cyberattack.
We are offering cybersecurity training for all local election officials and mandating it for the certification of registrars of voters. We will also be deploying election support officers from our office to support the work of local election officials in the 2020 election cycle. All this while we continue to upgrade the security systems that protect online voter registration systems that have been the subject of foreign cyberattacks.
Secretary Merrill’s plan also puts recently approved CARES Act funding to work in each of our communities by providing the support necessary to have safe polling places in this time of the COVID-19 pandemic health crisis. The people of Connecticut should not have to choose between protecting their health and exercising their right to vote. Current circumstances of this pandemic make that choice a reality for too many of our fellow citizens. The Secretary of the State is taking action to ensure that access to voting is a reality no matter the circumstances.
The foundation of democracy in America is our system of elections. The legitimacy of our electoral system is the bedrock upon which a government of the people, by the people and for the people is accepted and established. That legitimacy depends on public confidence in our election system. Working together, we will meet this challenge.
Scott Bates is the former Senior Policy Advisor for the U.S House Homeland Security Committee. He now serves as Connecticut’s Deputy Secretary of the State.
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https://www.theday.com/local-news/20200503/state-making-plans-to-protect-elections-from-cyber-threats-pandemic
State making plans to protect elections from cyber threats, pandemic
Published May 03. 2020 5:23PM | Updated May 04. 2020 9:18AM
By Joe Wojtas Day staff writer
j.wojtas@theday.com
Secretary of the State Denise Merrill is scheduled Monday afternoon to announce a plan to secure election systems across the state from cyberattack this fall and prepare polling places to safely operate during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Deputy Secretary of the State Scott Bates outlined the challenges the state faces to ensure a safe and secure election in an op-ed published Monday in The Day.
“We're trying to do all we can do before this election to address the twin challenges of the pandemic and cyber security,” he told The Day on Sunday.
Bates said the state will be using more than $15 million in federal funding to ensure outside groups can not interfere with the election and to make polls safe for both voters and workers.
“There are challenges but fortunately we have the time and resources to address them,” he said, adding that the state, municipalities and members of both parties are working together to ensure the security and safety of the election process and prevent disruptions.
Despite the challenges, Bates said there will be in-person voting this fall with greater access to absentee ballots. He said he does not foresee an election with only mail-in ballots.
Bates said his office will be talking to all 169 towns and cities about how their polls will operate in regards to social distancing, cleaning regimens and adhering to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention protocols. He said towns and cities will have to present layouts of the polls and details such as the number and placement of poll workers.
With a large number of poll workers often 60 and older, Bates said efforts are not just being made to protect them but to recruit a “new generation of poll workers.” He said more poll workers may be needed to ensure social distancing guidelines. He said he has also heard from people who want to know how they can serve their community and their country when it comes to elections.
Bates said his office will also be working with the registrars of voters and information technology employees in each municipality because each town is “an access point” into the state’s election system.
“We have to make sure the towns are as secure as possible,’’ he said.
Bates also announced that the Secretary of the State’s office is partnering with the National Guard to assess the cybersecurity of the elections infrastructure of each municipality.
He said this will help target the greatest vulnerabilities in the elections' system. He added his office has already identified about 20 municipalities that have chronic issues with their connections to computer networks necessary for the election process. Bates could not immediately say if any of these are in southeastern Connecticut.
He said his office is providing upgrades to networks in these towns to eliminate cyber “hot spots” that present potential security risks, and will provide matching grants to municipalities that invest in upgrading outmoded workstations.
Bates said elections “can be taken advantage of by malicious actors who want to undermine the confidence in our election system.
Bates said that while that does not likely mean that voting results can be altered it could mean interference such as operating fake election registration websites or posting online that a poll is closed due to the pandemic.
“Authoritarian regimes opposed to American democracy continue to launch cyberattacks against election systems in the United States. They possess the capabilities to significantly disrupt the 2020 election cycle, thus undermining public confidence in the fairness and accuracy of election results,” Bates wrote in his op-ed. “Disinformation campaigns being run by these authoritarian states (Russia, China, Iran, and others) are currently sowing division and discord in the American electorate and can be weaponized to spread false information about the election process itself. We can expect these efforts to intensify, all in an attempt to undermine public confidence in the election system and by extension in democracy itself.”