WASHINGTON – Today, as part of their public service announcement (PSA) series to put potential election day cyber related disruptions during the 2024 election cycle into context for the American people, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) jointly issued the Just So You Know: False Claims of Hacked Voter Information Likely Intended to Sow Distrust of U.S. Elections PSA to raise awareness of attempts to undermine public confidence in the security of U.S. election infrastructure through the spread of disinformation falsely claiming that cyberattacks compromised U.S. voter registration databases.
As observed through multiple election cycles, foreign actors and cybercriminals continue to spread false information through various platforms to manipulate public opinion, discredit the electoral process, and undermine confidence in U.S. democratic institutions. The FBI and CISA continue to work closely with federal, state, local, and territorial election partners and provide services and information to safeguard U.S. voting processes and maintain the resilience of the U.S. elections.
“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,” said CISA Senior Advisor Cait Conley.”
“The FBI continues to investigate any claims of malicious cyber actors’ attempts to target U.S. elections,” said FBI Cyber Division, Deputy Assistant Director Cynthia Kaiser. “Through our investigations, the FBI has identified that malicious actors commonly attempt to undermine public confidence in US 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.”
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As the nation’s cyber defense agency and national coordinator for critical infrastructure security, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency leads the national effort to understand, manage, and reduce risk to the digital and physical infrastructure Americans rely on every hour of every day.
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