With the U.S. presidential election just around the corner, cyber threats from foreign actors have escalated, targeting critical election infrastructure, campaign officials, and communication networks. These incidents, from attempted election software intrusions to spying on candidate communications, highlight the importance of robust cybersecurity defenses. In this advisory, we examine four recent high-profile cybersecurity incidents and provide guidance on how our services can help protect organizations facing similar risks.
Election Software Supply Chain Vulnerabilities in New Hampshire
In New Hampshire, an audit revealed unexpected security concerns in the state’s new voter registration database software, highlighting critical risks associated with outsourced code. State officials discovered that an overseas subcontractor’s work on the system included misconfigurations that could connect it to foreign servers, as well as use of open-source software linked to a Russian national with potential security risks.
Cyber Attack on Georgia’s Absentee Ballot Request System
Recently, Georgia’s absentee ballot request website faced a coordinated cyberattack, most likely from a foreign entity, aiming to disrupt its functionality through a flood of traffic. Thanks to robust defenses, including support from Cloudflare, the attack was thwarted before it could interfere with voter requests, yet it showed how determined foreign actors are to disrupt U.S. electoral processes.
Targeted Spear-Phishing Campaign by Russian Hackers
Microsoft recently reported a Russian-linked hacking group, Midnight Blizzard, engaged in a targeted spear-phishing campaign directed at U.S. officials, academics, and key organizations. This campaign involved impersonating legitimate sources to trick recipients into downloading files that would grant hackers unauthorized access to sensitive networks. Such espionage efforts are typically aimed at gathering intelligence or destabilizing trust in political processes.
Telecommunications Infiltration Targeting Political Campaigns
Chinese hackers reportedly targeted the phones of high-profile U.S. political figures, including members of both the Trump and Harris campaigns, attempting to access sensitive communications. Through sophisticated infiltration techniques in telecommunications systems, they intercepted audio and unencrypted communications, potentially gaining access to sensitive data. This compromise raises concerns about potential data breaches and information theft in sensitive communications networks.
How nGuard Can Help
The cybersecurity threats seen in the election season don’t only impact government systems—they’re also a reminder of the types of attacks businesses face across industries. Whether it’s preventing data breaches, managing supply chain risks, or defending against phishing attempts, organizations must proactively safeguard their assets from evolving cyber threats.
Here’s how nGuard can help strengthen your defenses:
- Our external penetration testing services can reveal hidden vulnerabilities on your network, in third-party, and open-source components, helping to ensure supply chains are secure against unexpected threats embedded within software code.
- With web application penetration testing, we simulate attacks to test and reinforce defenses, ensuring resilience against disruptions like Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attempts and ensure all application layers are protected.
- nGuard’s social engineering testing simulates real-world phishing and impersonation attempts to test and educate staff on recognizing and resisting these attacks. By improving an organization’s defenses against human-factor vulnerabilities, we help limit exposure to unauthorized access.
- Through strategic security assessments, we identify vulnerabilities and security gaps in infrastructure and networks, organizational policies, and training ensuring sensitive data and communications are safeguarded from unauthorized interception.
- In our device configuration audits we examine network configurations, access controls, and encryption protocols. These assessments ensure that critical data is safeguarded against unauthorized access and interception.
Strengthening Cybersecurity Defenses Critical Systems
These recent cybersecurity incidents emphasize the critical role of proactive defenses in safeguarding all infrastructure, especially election-related infrastructure and communications. At nGuard, our tailored cybersecurity solutions can be instrumental in preventing such breaches, securing sensitive information, and reinforcing the trust placed in the operation of critical systems. Our services focus on uncovering, mitigating, and managing risks associated with complex and changing cyber threats.
