Cybersecurity head says no chance foreign country could change US election results

Intelligence agencies and tech companies have tracked both Russian and Iranian actors using fake websites and social media profiles to spread misinformation

The US election systems are so secure that Russia, Iran or any other foreign adversary would not be able to alter the outcome of the presidential election, director of the nation’s cybersecurity agency said Wednesday.

“Malicious actors, even if they tried, could not have an impact at scale such that there would be a material effect on the outcome of the election,” Jen Easterly, director of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, told the Associated Press.

Federal agencies such as The Office of the Director of National Intelligence have warned that foreign actors like Iran, China and Russia have attempted to interfere in U.S. elections through digital fake news websites intended to influence voters and drive a political rift.

But Easterly said voting, ballot counting and other election infrastructure are more secure than ever.

A woman votes on the first day of Virginia’s in-person early voting at Long Bridge Park Aquatics and Fitness Center on September 20, in Arlington, Virginia. Despite recent attempts at election interference, a US cybersecurity expert says election results will be secure (Getty Images)

Last month, the Biden administration seized more than two dozen Kremlin-run fake news websites. Two Russian state media employees have been charged in a scheme to covertly fund right-wing influencers as well.

Last week, three Iranian nationals were indicted in an alleged government hacking campaign that targeted the Trump campaign. The Justice Department said that was part of a larger effort to undermine confidence in the U.S. electoral system and the former president.

Intelligence agencies and tech companies have tracked both Russian and Iranian actors using fake websites and social media profiles to spread misinformation, stoke division and potentially sway American voters. Iran and Russia have sought to influence past U.S. elections through online disinformation and hacking.

Easterly said China was “very interested” in influencing election results but that the agency has not detected any activity targeting specific infrastructure or processes.

Mistrust in U.S. elections has become widespread since the 2020 election when former president Donald Trump and his allies asserted the election was “stolen” and false voter ballots went to President Joe Biden.

Multiple federal, state and local investigations have found no evidence of election interference or widespread fake ballots. Congress certified the election results on January 7, 2021.