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FBI tells public to ignore false claims of hacked voter data. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) are alerting the public of false claims that the U.S. voter registration data has been compromised in cyberattacks. The two agencies note that malicious actors are spreading disinformation to manipulate public "opinion and undermine confidence in U.S. democratic institutions." According to the PSA, the actors present publicly accessible data as evidence of the hacks. "Malicious actors continue to spread false or misleading information in an attempt to manipulate public opinion and undermine confidence in U.S. democratic institutions," the announcement reads. "One of the most common tactics involves using obtained voter registration information as evidence to support false claims that a cyber operation compromised election infrastructure." Voter registration data is publicly available and can be acquired from official sources, the PSA explains, so holding or republishing it does not constitute evidence of a compromise of voting infrastructure. In terms of the practical consequences of foreign actors holding that information, FBI and CISA underline that it has no impact on the voting process or the election results. As of today, intelligence agencies have no evidence of a cyberattack on U.S. election infrastructure that interrupted an election procedure or resulted in changes that would compromise the integrity of the process. In the public service announcement, the two agencies make the following recommendations: This latest PSA comes a few months after CISA and the FBI decided to raise public awareness about false claims made by malicious actors that distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks targeting election infrastructure would compromise the integrity of the process. Although DDoS attacks can temporarily disrupt the availability of some election-related services, like ballot-casting reporting and voter look-up tools, the voting process itself cannot be impacted, and there has never been an incident suggesting otherwise. As the general elections in the U.S. approach, scheduled for November 5, citizens should be aware of attempts to weaken the public's trust in the process by foreign actors with geopolitical motives.

Daily Brief Summary

NATION STATE ACTIVITY // FBI Debunks Claims of Hacked US Voter Registration Data

The FBI and CISA have issued a public service announcement debunking false claims that U.S. voter registration data has been compromised by cyberattacks.

These agencies report that malicious actors are using publicly accessible voter data to falsely claim that the U.S. election infrastructure has been hacked.

The false information campaign aims to manipulate public opinion and reduce trust in the democratic process.

Voter registration information is publicly accessible; possession of such data should not be construed as evidence of election tampering or infrastructure compromise.

According to the FBI and CISA, there is no evidence to suggest that any foreign actors holding voter data have impacted the voting process or election outcomes.

Previous notices also clarified that DDoS attacks, while they can disrupt certain election services, do not affect the actual voting process.

With general elections nearing, the public should be cautious of efforts by external entities trying to undermine confidence in electoral integrity.