The problem of election cybersecurity steps closer to resolution. Email security firm Agari comments on today's announcement from the newly launched nonprofit, DDC (Defending Digital Campaigns)
All comments may be attributed to Armen L. Najarian, Chief Identity Officer, Agari, an email security firm that has partnered with the DDC
FOSTER CITY, Calif., Oct. 31, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The debates earlier in the year at the Federal Election Commission (FEC) level about how to best secure 2020 elections from nation-state threats and foreign interference have come full circle. With the DDC up and running, as of today, campaigns now have access to the same battle-tested cybersecurity technology that the largest enterprises in the world rely on every day to fend off email scammers, nation-states and other types of foreign interference.
Presidential campaigns have not taken action, which is astonishing given the lessons learned in the 2016 U.S. presidential race, when "spear-phishing" became a household word. The Agari 2020 Presidential Campaign Email Threat Index shows that only 1 of 13 campaigns polling above 1 percent has taken steps to fully protect against spear-phishing attacks, campaign brand abuse, donation diversion threats, and candidate impersonation.
Agari this week released a survey of more than 800 U.S. registered voters. The overwhelming sentiment voiced by voters is that they are clearly concerned about foreign interference, as a threat to U.S. democracy. Voters shared that they believe many 2020 U.S. presidential campaigns have already been breached, but the campaigns just don't know it yet.
Hacks hurt votes and donations. Overall, 61 percent of registered voters in Agari's election survey said that receiving a fake/phishing email would prevent them from donating to the specific campaign from which the email appeared to come; and a majority (59%) said receiving a fake/phishing email from one campaign would negatively impact their donation to other 2020 presidential election campaigns. Furthermore, 60 percent of voters said that an email hack on a campaign would make them not vote for a candidate or question doing so.
The stakes are high. The goal of the DDC and Agari is to get the best tools in campaign hands ASAP. That's possible, as of today.
Contact:
Jean Creech Avent
Senior Director, Global Corporate Communications
Agari
[email protected]
+1 843 986 8229
SOURCE Agari
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