A growing number of states are installing a cyber-intrusion sensor system supplied by the Department of Homeland Security in response to fears that election systems my be hacked by foreign adversaries during the 2018 midterm elections and beyond. To date, 36 states have installed the intrusion detection sensors, known as “Albert,” according to a DHS official. The monitoring system was developed by the Center for Internet Security, a nonprofit organization that is working with DHS on election security and coordination. Rather than block cyber threats outright, Albert alerts officials to potentially malign activity to be investigated by experts. In those states, 74 sensors in 38 counties have been installed so far, according to the official, up from 14 before the 2016 presidential election. The new numbers were first reported by Reuters.
“It’s one of many tools that a state can use to administer and monitor their networks,” the Kansas director of elections, Bryan Caskey, told CNN. “I’m not in the habit of detailing what we do and don’t do.”
DHS and Center for Internet Security officials aren’t saying why the 14 remaining states aren’t using Albert, and they won’t name the states.
Full Article: States add intrusion sensors to election systems to thwart hacking – CNNPolitics.