Vice President Mike Pence described several new initiatives meant to prevent cyberattacks against U.S. elections systems on Tuesday. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has formed a foreign influence task force, he said, aimed at investigating sources of nation-state backed election influence. DHS has launched the elections information sharing and analysis center, which includes participation from U.S. secretaries of state with the goal of sharing threat information to “help prevent attacks before they happen.” Pence said the moves would “elevate American security.”
“We will be as dominant in the digital world as we are in the physical world,” he said. He also affirmed findings from U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.
“The fact is Russia meddled in our 2016 elections. That’s the unambiguous judgment of our intelligence community, and as the President said, we accept the intelligence community’s conclusion,” he said.
To combat cyber threats in the upcoming Congressional election, Pence said the administration is also deploying “new sensors” to detect threats, and 37 states have opted in so far, he said. Federal cybersecurity officials are also being deployed to state and local elections commissions. He cited a cyberattack in July against government services in Finney County, Kansas, including elections infrastructure, to which he said DHS responded and helped remediate.
Full Article: Pence says ‘Russia meddled’ in 2016 elections, explains security plans.