Flashback - Election Systems Designated "Critical Infrastructure" Under Obama … "internet connected…"
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Former DHS chief feared catastrophic attack on election systems (by Mark Rockwell / Sep 28, 2017)
… "DHS spokesman Scott McConnell said the agency 'stands by its assessment that Internet-connected networks in 21 states were the target of Russian government cyber actors seeking vulnerabilities and access to U.S. election infrastructure.'"…
… "In his remarks to the task force, Johnson said 33 states and 36 cities and counties across the country sought cyber assistance from DHS as the 2016 election approached."
"Despite those requests, there was friction between fiercely independent state election agencies and DHS when Johnson formally declared early this year that election systems were "critical infrastructure,' eligible for federal protections." …
https://fcw.com/articles/2017/09/28/dhs-jeh-johnson-election-attack-forum.aspx
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US move to secure election systems meets criticism
(By TAMI ABDOLLAH / January 9, 2017)
"A last-minute decision by the Obama administration to designate election systems as critical infrastructure drew intense criticism from state and federal elections organizations on Monday."
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'Election infrastructure that would fall under the designation as defined by DHS includes storage facilities, polling places and vote tabulation locations, plus technology involved in the process, such as voter registration databases, voting machines and other systems used to manage the election process and report and display results."
https://apnews.com/article/8afaab16347a4f88b4c8b4a1759de60e
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Statement by Secretary Jeh Johnson on the Designation of Election Infrastructure as a Critical Infrastructure Subsector
January 6, 2017
"The designation of election infrastructure as critical infrastructure subsector does mean that election infrastructure becomes a priority within the National Infrastructure Protection Plan. It also enables this Department to prioritize our cybersecurity assistance to state and local election officials, but only for those who request it. Further, the designation makes clear both domestically and internationally that election infrastructure enjoys all the benefits and protections of critical infrastructure that the U.S. government has to offer. Finally, a designation makes it easier for the federal government to have full and frank discussions with key stakeholders regarding sensitive vulnerability information."
https://www.dhs.gov/news/2017/01/06/statement-secretary-johnson-designation-election-infrastructure-critical