The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, FBI and other federal agencies have created a webpage with the latest cyberthreat updates and information ahead of next week's general election. The agencies provide statements on recent incidents in which foreign actors have tried to influence and interfere with the election process. The page also includes resources on distributed denial of service attacks, ransomware and other cybersecurity topics. 
 
John Riggi, AHA national advisor for cyber security and risk, said that hostile foreign governments and intelligence services from Russia, Iran and China have been aggressively seeking to influence and potentially disrupt the election process through social media disinformation campaigns and phishing emails designed to gain access to politically sensitive and critical infrastructure organizations.   
"This access may be used to steal and leak sensitive information or provide a pathway for future malware delivery and disruptive cyber operations," Riggi said. "Foreign cybercriminal gangs may also use election-themed social engineering and phishing emails to target staff to click on malicious links or steal credentials. We are certainly in a heightened cyberthreat environment due to the upcoming election, and as such we should remain especially vigilant for cyberthreats and skeptical of inflammatory social media claims designed to disrupt our free and fair democratic election process."   
 
For more information on this or other cyber and risk issues, contact Riggi at jriggi@aha.org. For the latest cyber and risk resources and threat intelligence, visit aha.org/cybersecurity.

Related News Articles

Headline
The National Institute of Standards and Technology Feb. 2 published details on a critical vulnerability that impacted Notepad++, a free, open-source text and…
Headline
The FBI has launched a two-month campaign, Operation Winter SHIELD (Securing Homeland Infrastructure by Enhancing Layered Defense), highlighting 10 actions…
Headline
Two AHA guides offer strategies for hospitals and health systems in preparing for public health emergencies and disasters and managing cybersecurity incidents…
Headline
Larry Pierce, director of cybersecurity and information security officer for Atlantic Health, unpacks how the growth of artificial intelligence is reshaping…
Headline
U.S. and international agencies Jan. 14 released guidance on secure connectivity for operational technology environments. Examples of OT environments in health…
Headline
The AHA Jan. 14 expressed support for the Rural Hospital Cybersecurity Enhancement Act (S. 2169), legislation that would direct the Department of Health and…