The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warn the public about false claims that U.S. voter registration data has been compromised in cyberattacks. They say malicious actors spread this disinformation to manipulate public opinion and undermine confidence in U.S. democratic institutions. According to the agencies, these malicious actors present publicly accessible voter data as evidence of the alleged hacks.
One of the most common tactics involves using obtained voter registration information as evidence to support false claims that a cyber operation compromised election infrastructure,” states a public service announcement from the FBI and CISA. However, the agencies emphasize that voter registration data is publicly available and can be acquired from official sources. Simply holding or republishing this information does not prove that voting infrastructure has been compromised.
The FBI and CISA underline that such voter data does not impact the actual voting process or election results. As of today, intelligence agencies have no evidence of any cyberattack on U.S. election infrastructure that has interrupted election procedures or resulted in changes that would compromise the integrity of the process.
False voter data claims explained
The FBI and CISA provide the following recommendations to the public:
– Don’t accept claims of election system intrusions without evidence, as such claims may aim to influence public opinion or undermine confidence in democracy. – Be cautious of social media posts, emails, calls, or texts making suspicious claims about election security. – For questions on election security, trust information from state and local election officials.
– Visit official state and local election websites (“.gov” domains) for accurate election information. This latest warning comes a few months after CISA and the FBI addressed false claims by malicious actors who alleged that distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks targeting election infrastructure would compromise the integrity of the process. The agencies noted that while DDoS attacks can temporarily disrupt the availability of some election-related services, like ballot-casting reporting and voter look-up tools, the voting process itself cannot be impacted.
There has never been an incident suggesting otherwise. As the U.S. general elections approach in November, citizens should be aware of attempts by foreign actors with geopolitical motives to weaken public trust in the democratic process. The FBI and CISA urge voters to critically evaluate any claims of election system hacking and seek out trusted sources of information.
