Despite deep concerns, especially among Democrats, that Russia will hack into the 2018 elections, a top Department of Homeland Security official said that there has been no evidence of elections tampering by Moscow.
Asked directly if the U.S. has seen “any activity” by Russia to pry into the U.S. elections set for Nov. 6, Jeanette Manfra, the chief cybersecurity official for DHS, said, “We have not at this time.”
During a hearing hosted by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Reform Committee, Democrats lined up to say that Russian election hacking is the top cyber concern in the nation.
But Committee Chairman Sen. Ron Johnson warned that Russia is playing the country on the issue, and that cyber attacks on critical infrastructure such as water and electric systems are far more concerning.
“This is a serious issue, no doubt about it, but we also need to make sure we don’t blow it out of proportion,” said Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin.
But, he warned, “we may be playing into Russia’s hands” by making election hacking more serious than hitting infrastructure.
Want to know more about securing our election infrastructure? @NPPD weighs in at #HSGAC hearing happening now. Tune in here: https://t.co/PbwpHmc7bp
— Senator Ron Johnson (@SenRonJohnson) April 24, 2018
During the hearing, Manfra raised new concerns about Russian cyber targeting of U.S. infrastructure systems.
“In a series of incidents since at least May of last year, working with U.S. and international partners, DHS and FBI have identified Russian government actors targeting government entities and businesses in the energy, nuclear, water, aviation, and critical manufacturing sectors. DHS assesses that this campaign ultimately collected information pertaining to industrial control systems with the intent to gain access to industrial control systems environments,” she said.
Manfra also assured the committee that a DHS elections team are working to help state election officials thwart cyber attacks. She said that every state that wants DHS support has received it.
“We cannot let it happen again,” she said of Russian 2016 election hacking.
“We recognize the fundamental link between public trust in our election infrastructure and the confidence the American public places in basic democratic functions. Ensuring the security of our electoral process is a vital national interest and one of our highest priorities at DHS. Our voting infrastructure is diverse, subject to local control, and has many checks and balances,” she added in the Tuesday morning hearing.
