Despite all the hype over Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign and the probe into any “collusion” with President Trump’s bid, 2018 campaign aides appear to have few concerns of it happening again — and have done little to protect themselves.
Just consider these findings from former Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Donna Brazile in a new report for Harvard’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy:
- Campaign officials are worried more about “bad press,” candidate gaffes and fundraising shortfalls than campaign files and emails being hacked.
- Most campaigns won’t spend more than $5,000 to protect their technology from attacks.
- Just 40 percent have taken steps to block hackers.
The results of Shorenstein’s survey of campaign officials appeared to shock Brazile, who was part of the DNC when its emails were hacked in 2016.
“While campaign staffs are well aware of the threat posed by cyber attacks, most are more concerned with other things, such as raising enough money or receiving bad press. They fail to recognize, as the 2016 election revealed, that a cyber attack that exposes campaign data can depress fundraising, inhibit endorsements, and create weeks of bad press,” said her report.
