1. Cybersecurity in Elections Infrastructure: Risks and Mitigations
Dr. Michael Garcia, Director of Elections Best Practices
14 June 2018

2. A word about CIS CIS is a technical organization
Address the how over the what
Backed up by experience and resources
CIS history and programs underpin best practices and recommendations
Focused on the entire ecosystem
Looks at – and provides best practices –
from start to finish

3. Center for Internet Security

4. The threat environment
There have always been threats to elections
There’s been a steady progression toward IT-related attacks over the last two decades
2016: a more concerted effort, but just an increase in what had already been occurring

5. Motivation Attackers have one or more goals
Information theft, espionage, sabotage
Sabotage: destruction, defamation, or blackmail of targets
Motivation can be BOTH changing votes AND reputation damage to democracy itself
In cybersecurity, risks drive investments
Must assess risk and keep a broad view
Adversaries will look for a weakness anywhere; so must we strengthen defenses everywhere

6. A Handbook for Elections Infrastructure Security
View and download at:
Order free hardcopies at:

7. The starting point
The most substantial risks are to components that have network connections
For cybersecurity folks, this puts us in known waters
Bigger than paper ballots or RLAs
Jumping on a moving train means continual improvement
Constrained resources means mitigating risk at the margin
Focus on the best way to spend the next dollar, regardless of where it is

8. Handbook Structure Three parts Introduction of elections and risk
An architecture of elections systems and their risks
Technical best practices
Includes recommendations on contracting and procurement, auditing, and incident planning
Contains 88 best practices in the form of security controls

9. Part 1: Introduction Typical stuff: scope, audience, environment
Also info about conducting a risk assessment
Introduces three classes of connectivity
Network connected systems
Indirectly connected systems
Systems that are not connected
Bonus!
Transmission risks

10. Part 2: Architecture and Risk
Generalized architecture
Describe each component, its risks, and its connectedness

11. Part 3: Mitigating Risk Summarize and mitigate risks
Best practices have
Asset class: device, process, software, user
Priority: high, medium
Known security controls
Estimates of
Potential resistance, upfront cost, ongoing maintenance cost
Resources to help implementation
Links to online resources, NIST guidance, tools

12. Possible uses of the handbook
Using as a baseline in developing training and assessment tools
Drawing connections between non-technical understanding of risk and technical approaches to mitigation
Prioritizing additional security work
Showing how investments have been used and future investment will be used
Conducting an assessment of current practices

13. What’s next? Self-assessment tool against handbook
Pilot phase underway, full launch in July
Training for independent assessors
In early development, hoping to begin training in fall
Procurement guidebook
Based on handbook, provides sound approaches to procurement as well as model contract clauses

14. Thank you! Mike Garcia Mike.Garcia@cisecurity.org