FBI Vows To Warn More Elections Officials If Discovering A Cyberattack

The FBI plans to warn both state and local elections officials if it discovers cyberattacks this year, the bureau said on Thursday — a new policy it hopes will build new bridges to more authorities involved with election security.

The federal government has been criticized for poor communication with elections officials during and since the Russian attack on the presidential election in 2016.

If the FBI discovered that a cyberattack had successfully breached a local election system, the old policy meant the bureau would tell that county, for example, but not the state government.

In Florida for instance, two counties were breached in 2016 but state officials weren't briefed on the matter until roughly two years later.

"This chaotic dribs and drabs of information that's coming out is doing more harm to our constituents' faith in the electoral system than just coming out and providing some information," said Rep. Stephanie Murphy, a Democrat who represents Florida's 7th District, last year.

That practice stemmed from a broader policy of the FBI intended to protect the identities of victims of crimes — even if that victim, in this case, was a government entity.

Now, the FBI says it plans to alert the top election official in the state in which a cyberattack occurred at roughly the same time as the county that was breached.

"It is the intent of the FBI that this new policy will result in increased collaboration between all levels of government for the integrity and security of U.S. elections," the bureau said in a statement.

Former Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller documented a broad wave of active measures that targeted the 2016 presidential election including cyberattacks focusing on U.S. elections infrastructure.

Mueller and other national security officials have warned that they expect election interference to continue through the 2020 race and likely beyond. [Copyright 2020 NPR]