Cybersecurity Roundup: Tightening Up Election Security
… attract adequate talent. To help fill any gaps, consider leveraging an MSSP as an alternative solution. An MSSP will already have this talent in place and will also offer robust security solutions and training.
If budget adjustments are out of the cards, election officials should invest in cybersecurity awareness training so that their current team members can do their part to keep the elections secure.
CF: How can election officials identify threats and utilize top talent to protect the polls?
DM: Since most election officials don’t come from a cybersecurity background, it is important that they are proactive about planning and partner with [an] MSSP that offers a wide range of cybersecurity solutions as well as proven expertise to provide guidance and recommendations on how to best protect themselves. Election organizers should also provide polling officials with the necessary cybersecurity training to ensure they are prepared in the event of an attempted interference. As demonstrated by the failed Iowa Caucus app, technology can make elections more difficult if officials are not properly trained.
Automation also can help ensure safe elections, according to Terry Simpson, technical evangelist at Nintex. One of the primary benefits of automation is predictable and consistent execution of processes, he said.
“Most process automation involves configuration with rules-based logic that reduces risk of human error and interference, and increases processing capacity,” he said. “A solid automation platform, combined with proper governance and testing, will result in safer election processes.”
Automation solutions are available to anyone and everyone these days, Witt said. Ease of use and rapid implementation can allow campaigns and election managers to automate key processes quickly.
“Use cases might include online forms for rapid, accurate information-gathering, workflows to manage communications and document reviews;,and analytics dashboards to visualize key progress metrics,” he said. “Platforms like this make it possible for non-technical citizen developers to ensure the integrity and accuracy of election-related processes.”
Survey Shows Many Customers Ditch Companies After a Cyber Breach
A new survey by Security.org shows a significant portion of customers may never do business with a company after it’s been breached.
More than 1,000 people were surveyed, including more than 300 data breach victims, and among the findings:
- Nearly one in four people stop doing business with companies that have been hacked, and more than two in three people trust a company less after a data breach.
- More than one in five is unwilling to give their financial information to a company that’s been hacked.
- Ninety-two percent of people agree that companies are financially liable to their customers after a breach.
- Less than one in 10 people will give a company their financial information within a month after they’ve been breached.
Ryan McGonagill, Security.org’s CMO, tells us that once a data breach has occurred, the best possible course of action is transparency. Companies need to be able to explain to customers that they’ve identified how the data breach occurred and present a …