What Is the Definition of ‘Election Cybersecurity?’

Secure elections aren’t just important to government elections. Most institutions enact democratic processes for their organization or business. For example, homeowners associations and unions rely on elections to select their officials and officers. The same holds true for the election of boards of directors in private businesses.

When it comes to any sort of election or democratic process, security matters. A lapse in security can compromise election results and dismantle the integrity of the election. If your votes are not secure, there’s room for voter fraud and inaccurate vote counts—and the entire process could be deemed null and void due to the security breach.

Concerns surrounding cybersecurity and election processes have raised many questions about if hybrid voting online is a safe option for elections. While many election support agencies offer a range of options for submitting votes, they can still leave voters feeling skeptical. However, education and the right voter management services can eliminate these concerns if they're unfamiliar with digital voting or if mobile voting is safe.

What Is Election Cybersecurity?

Election cybersecurity, or ‘election security,’ protects elections and voting infrastructures from cyber threats or cyberattacks. Similar to cybersecurity, election cybersecurity implements various strategies to minimize the risks, including:

• Network security: Your digital devices (and devices belonging to anyone else in your organization) share a digital network. Network security protects the network from unwanted or unauthorized users and intrusions.
• Application security: Apps on your digital devices require frequent updates and testing to ensure security.
• Endpoint security: If your elections are taking place remotely, this can open up a weak spot in your cybersecurity. Endpoint security focuses solely on securing all remote access to the network to fill that gap.
• Cloud security: If your organization shares files and information in a digital environment—called the cloud—specialty security measures are required to protect the data stored there.
• Security for mobile devices: If information or data for your organization can be accessed through an individual’s cellular device or tablet, it will require specialty security services.

What Is a Cyber Threat or Cyberattack?

Cyber threats and cyberattacks are nearly synonymous. A cyberattack is an offensive maneuver targeting digital systems, such as computer networks and devices. A cyber threat is a circumstance or event that can adversely affect an organization due to unauthorized digital access to a digital system or operation. Cyber threats refer to the potential for a cyberattack to occur.

Examples of a Cyberattack

Cyberattacks against organizations and businesses are surprisingly common. These can do more than compromise your voting infrastructure. They can create data breaches and unauthorized data manipulation. Examples of a cyberattack are phishing scams (when recipients receive fraudulent emails or phone calls in an attempt to gain information or access from a hacker) or malware (malicious software that disrupts or steals data from a digital server or network). Other examples include:

• Denial of service attacks
• Session hijacking
• Password attacks
• DNS tunneling
• Cross-site scripting attacks
• Man-in-the-middle attacks
• SQL injection attacks

Cyberattacks jeopardize the integrity of your elections and can sometimes result in the leaking of private information or altering of data. While digital and remote voting is becoming increasingly popular, you need a security infrastructure to protect your organization.

Protect Your Elections With ElectionBuddy

Digital voting is easy, convenient, and boosts voter turnout. However, potential security risks can seem daunting and overwhelming, especially if you don’t specialize in the technical side of elections. 

Not everyone is a tech-wiz or has the know-how to develop a secure online voting system—but our team of experts does. So if you want every voice in your organization to be heard but don’t know where to begin, that’s where we come in. ElectionBuddy provides election support services to various industries and organizations. 

We can support you every step of the way to ensure a secure and accurate voting process. ElectionBuddy can take command or simply assist with setting up your voting infrastructures (digital or otherwise), offer consistent and prompt assistance, and comprehensively deliver your results!