While the 2024 election is several months away, Congress has been prioritizing the security and sanctity of the vote. At the center of its concerns is generative AI and the potential impact it could have on misinformation, fraud, and other digital campaigns leading up to the election, taking into account the power the technology has to create realistic-but-fake news stories, soundbites, and even videos of candidates.
And while the presidential election is on everybody’s mind, state and local officials of even the smallest municipalities are now realizing that they are more likely than ever to be targeted by malicious cyber actors utilizing generative AI.
Local leaders should be carefully monitoring social media in their region to dispel any possible misinformation campaigns before they spread. With the evolution of generative AI, malicious actors can conjure up fake news articles and social media accounts quicker than ever, easily sowing confusion or swaying public opinion before, during, or after an election.
While gaining monetary value is always the top priority for threat actor groups, it’s important to note that these malicious criminals are also targeting government entities to gain more notoriety, and creating chaos can be a great way to do so.
For example, since the last election, we’ve seen clear evidence that American voter machines were not tampered with, but there is a lot of still lingering misinformation and confusion about this.
The last few elections have shown us that misinformation is the most dangerous threat against election security. Foreign entities and nation-states looking to create discord would have a much easier time interfering in our elections by stoking this misinformation than actually hacking our voting machines.
If foreign entities can use misinformation to discourage voters from going to the polls, then they can make people doubt the election itself.
These factors should motivate government institutions and their employees to exercise the utmost level of caution over the coming months. As we continue to face this increasing threat to election security, this is the time to make the critical investments required to help protect our democracy.
Adam Marrè is CISO at Arctic Wolf and a former FBI cybersecurity agent.
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