Experts say the US government was successful in defending the presidential election against cyberattacks, but disinformation campaigns undermined confidence in the electoral process.
Why Hacking US Elections Is So Easy
Officials warned before the election that foreign states and criminal organizations could try to hack voting systems. Since Joe Biden’s victory, President Trump has been spreading accusations of election security lapses, but experts say concerns about hacking are unfounded.
“We saw no evidence of successful hacks by foreign actors to change votes, alter results, or engage in other fraudulent behavior,” Marcus Fowler, a former CIA director and currently director of strategic threat at Darktrace, said in an email interview. “Local districts across the U.S. did an excellent job of communicating with each other and with state and federal agencies while remaining vigilant for potential threats.”
However, according to experts, one of the goals of foreign groups was to spread disinformation, rather than directly influence the voting outcome.
