October 15, 2024
Election Resource Roundup: Election Security (Week 18)
In preparation for the 2024 Presidential Election, The Elections Group is teaming up with experts in the industry to highlight resources for election administrators. This weekly series will showcase resources from The Elections Group, paired with resources from other organizations in the elections space. Every four weeks, we will focus on a different topic, and we’ll take a deeper dive into the resources available each week. Whether you’re a seasoned elections administrator looking for resources in the field, or if you’re new to the role, these maximum 30-minute sessions will be a quick introduction to resources curated for you.
The October 15 Resource Roundup featured The Election Group’s report, Defending Democracy: Protecting Election Officials from Digital Threats, CISA’s Cybersecurity Toolkit and Resources to Protect Elections and The GCA’s Cybersecurity Toolkit for Elections.
The Election Group’s report, Defending Democracy: Protecting Election Officials from Digital Threats is the first in a series that discusses how to protect election officials in upcoming election cycles. We recommend concrete steps election officials can take in their individual capacities to strengthen their resilience against online harassment that turns physical. While institutional and policy responses are also critical to protecting election workers, they will take longer to actualize. We propose a safety planning framework that organizes measures by domain (digital, physical, psychosocial); who should take those measures (individual, organizational); and when to take them (before, during or after an incident).
The CISA Cybersecurity Toolkit for Elections offers resources for election officials to bolster the security of their systems. It highlights critical tools and services like the Cyber Hygiene vulnerability scanning program, Ransomware Protection best practices, and tailored risk assessments for election infrastructure. The toolkit aims to help election offices identify and mitigate potential cyber threats through collaboration and expertise sharing.
The GCA Cybersecurity Toolkit for Elections offers free tools and resources to help election officials strengthen their cybersecurity defenses. It provides guidance based on the EI-ISAC’s Essential Guide to Election Security, covering areas like device management, access control, phishing prevention, and data encryption. The toolkit includes risk assessment tools and operational guidance that can be tailored to different levels of technical expertise, allowing election offices to implement best practices efficiently.
Listen to this episode, download the resources and implement them into your office today.