U.S. Election Security Chief Warns of Threats During Slow Count
U.S. Election Security Chief Warns of Threats During Slow Count
(Bloomberg) -- U.S. national security officials don’t believe the outcome of the presidential election will be determined right away, giving foreign adversaries like Russia more time to interfere and sow doubt about the outcome, America’s top election security official warned.
William Evanina, director of the U.S. National Counterintelligence and Security Center, said Wednesday that the country is in for a “rocky” several weeks before the Nov. 3 vote. Yet he said his biggest concern is the likely influence campaigns expected after the election, when the race may be deadlocked and results trickle in due to mail-in ballots.
“We need to prepare as a nation that the election will not be decided on November 3,” Evanina said during an online seminar hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
“I’m worried about the interference perspective come November 3, 4 and all the way through November,” Evanina added. “I’m worried about ransomware attacks. I’m worried about cyberattacks. I’m worried about the inability of people to vote because of cyber penetrations and ransomware.”
Evanina identified Iran, China and Russia as the “big three” cyber threats to the U.S., while also warning of emerging actors including North Korea, Cuba and even ally Saudi Arabia.
“We have other countries right now that are getting in the mix because they think it works,” Evanina said. “They want to be able to provide their optic for their diaspora here in the United States.”
The U.S. has tracked foreign adversaries doing digital surveillance of infrastructure that’s not necessarily germane to elections but could have an impact on the results, Evanina said.
A report by U.S. intelligence agencies this month said Russia would prefer that Donald Trump win re-election while China and Iran would like to see him lose. The report said Russia was playing the most active role in election interference and was taking measures aimed to “denigrate” former Vice President Joe Biden.
‘Severe Consequences’
National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien subsequently promised “severe consequences” for anyone seeking to interfere in the November election. “Whether it’s China or Russia or Iran, we’re not going to put up with it,” O’Brien said.
U.S. intelligence agencies concluded Russia was deeply involved in trying to influence the 2016 election, including favoring Trump over his then-rival Hillary Clinton.
In addition to the election, Evanina highlighted the search for a vaccine for Covid-19 as a major flash point for cyber tensions.
“We believe there’s nothing more valuable today than the research for Covid-19 vaccines,” he said, adding that the country that develops a vaccine first will have a “massive geopolitical leverage base.”
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