Claims of hacked voter data aims to cause distrust in elections

Claims of hacked voter data are intended to cause distrust in the election process, the FBI and CISA warn. The organizations assert that these are false claims made with the goal of undermining confidence in the security of United States elections. The claims in question are those that state cyberattacks have compromised databases for U.S. voter registration.

CISA Senior Advisor Cait Conley states, “This PSA is to educate people that false claims of election infrastructure compromise, like a voter registration database hack, may be spread by foreign actors and to not accept claims of intrusion at face value, as these claims may be meant to influence public opinion and negatively impact the American people’s confidence in our democratic process.”

The FBI and CISA released a joint statement to raise awareness. The public service announcement states that malicious actors are spreading these false claims and leveraging voter registration information as evidence to support these claims that such data is compromised. However, the FBI and CISA assert that such information is not evidence of voter registration databases being compromised, as most of this information can be accessed via publicly available sources.  

“The FBI continues to investigate any claims of malicious cyber actors’ attempts to target U.S. elections,” comments Cynthia Kaiser, FBI Cyber Division, Deputy Assistant Director. “Through our investigations, the FBI has identified that malicious actors commonly attempt to undermine public confidence in U.S. elections by grossly exaggerating about obtaining U.S. voter information. Today’s announcement urges the American public to critically evaluate claims of hacked or leaked voter information and remember that most voter registration information is available to the public. We at the FBI remain committed to continuing to share information to counter false claims and help election officials further secure election processes.” 

The FBI and CISA stated that as of September 12, 2024, there is no indication that a compromise of voter registration data has occurred. 

https://www.securitymagazine.com/articles/101052-claims-of-hacked-voter-data-aims-to-cause-distrust-in-elections