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Election Security Guides
Summary
Elections are a critical component of our nation’s democracy. Protecting our election systems and infrastructure from malicious activity is vital to our national interest and national security. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is sharing information with election officials and other important stakeholders to help protect the integrity of the voting process. The infographics and fact sheets below highlight ways to improve the security of the election infrastructure: implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA), trustworthy email, and data integrity and recovery.
Multi-factor Authentication
Many attacks begin with stolen user credentials, which may give the attacker access to election systems. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a powerful tool to prevent many of these attacks.
Trustworthy Email
Tampering with or impersonating official election-related email can undermine confidence in the election process. Implementing trustworthy email practices can help election officials have confidence in the email they send and receive.
Data Integrity and Recovery
Ransomware and other destructive attacks can paralyze a state or local election office and disrupt critical election systems. Implementing data integrity and recovery practices can give election officials confidence in the integrity of data critical to the election infrastructure.
If you have questions, please email the project team at election-security [at] nist.gov (election-security[at]nist[dot]gov).