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Mandiant ‘highly confident’ foreign cyberspies will target US midterm elections
The Register ^

Posted on 09/09/2022 6:54:10 AM PDT by FarCenter

Mandiant is "highly confident" that foreign cyberspies will target US election infrastructure, organizations, and individuals in the run-up to the November midterm elections.

Based on recent activity by various threat groups, as well as previous election targeting, the security firm expects nation-state backed gangs in Russia, China, and Iran will attempt to pull off cyberespionage against US government and election-related outfits.

"We have tracked activity from groups associated with Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, and other nations targeting organizations and individuals related to elections in the US and/or other nations with apparent goals ranging from information collection and establishing footholds or stealing data for later activity to one known case of a destructive attack against critical election infrastructure," the Mandiant team said in research published today.

Mandiant's threat hunters also say with "moderate confidence" that distributed denial-of-service (DDoS), ransomware, or other disruptive and/or destructive attacks will impact elections.

Additionally, as we've seen in previous elections, Russia, Iran and China will likely use information operations to "intimidate or influence" US voters, they noted. This is usually to put citizens off voting or turn them against each other, leading to unrest.

Hijacking voting machines … unlikely?

However, amid the likely cyberespionage, misinformation campaigns, and possible ransomware infections, there is a silver lining when it comes to the mechanics of voting itself.

"We believe notable compromises of actual voting devices or other activity impacting the integrity of votes is unlikely," the researchers report. But that doesn't mean that some miscreants aren't trying.

(Excerpt) Read more at theregister.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: news
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>>"We have tracked activity from groups associated with Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, and other nations

Note the "other nations". Since the US is the sole superpower, leader of the free world, and tends to apply us law and policies extraterritorially, it is in the vital interest of every nation to inflence US elections.

1 posted on 09/09/2022 6:54:10 AM PDT by FarCenter
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To: FarCenter

And I’m confident the sun will rise in the east tomorrow morning.


2 posted on 09/09/2022 6:55:41 AM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom (“I used to be nothing but a Deplorable and Clinger, but I've been promoted to Ultra-MAGA”)
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To: FarCenter

Bonus question - which US political party is the rest of the world most likely to intercede on behalf of?


3 posted on 09/09/2022 6:56:51 AM PDT by skeeter
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To: FarCenter

It’s ok as long as it’s in the Dems favor and no investigations are needed. If a Republican sneaks through then we will attack him as winning the election thanks to foreign adversaries like Russia.


4 posted on 09/09/2022 6:58:01 AM PDT by imabadboy99
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To: FarCenter

You know, we could have a foolproof election system which “cyberspies” would be powerless to subvert.

But neither party likes that idea.


5 posted on 09/09/2022 6:58:12 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy (We are already in a revolutionary period, and the Rule of Law means nothing. )
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To: FarCenter

We were told the same thing in 2016.
I was monitoring the internet traffic and 90% of it was coming from UK, Netherlands, France and Germany.
Also they seemed to be targeting VOIP phone lines.


6 posted on 09/09/2022 6:58:23 AM PDT by Zathras
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To: FarCenter

Count all votes by hand. Problem solved


7 posted on 09/09/2022 6:58:43 AM PDT by Jan_Sobieski (Sanctification)
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To: imabadboy99

All of this could be prevented by paper ballots, same day voting, voter ID, but they adamantly refuse to do so.... I wonder why that is?


8 posted on 09/09/2022 6:59:09 AM PDT by imabadboy99
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To: FarCenter

Must set the table early for the “X Candidate is illegitimate! They were elected as the result of HACKING!” narrative.


9 posted on 09/09/2022 7:02:15 AM PDT by FrankRizzo890
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To: FarCenter

Mandiant’s Deep State/intel.

Maybe their safety-valve claim getting set up?


10 posted on 09/09/2022 7:06:07 AM PDT by 9YearLurker
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To: FarCenter

“”We believe notable compromises of actual voting devices or other activity impacting the integrity of votes is unlikely,” the researchers report. “”

______________________________________________

No, they leave that to the Democrat vote counters and the mail-in voting ballot harvesters and the the adjudication of flagged Republican ballots (deliberately put in the (ambiguous mark category which sends them for adjudication where the Democrat resolves the ambiguity to be their preferred candidate) to favor Democrats or RINOs.


11 posted on 09/09/2022 7:07:19 AM PDT by jacknhoo ( Luke 12:51; Think ye, that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, no; but separation.)
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To: FarCenter

I am much more worried about Mark Zuckerberg


12 posted on 09/09/2022 7:13:06 AM PDT by MrRelevant
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To: FarCenter

The easy way to get rid of foreign election fraud is to manage the elections on election day only, by hand in plain sight of all. Many countries do this. There is no reason it can’t be done on every county.


13 posted on 09/09/2022 7:16:39 AM PDT by poinq
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To: FarCenter; All
The software used in several states for voting machines, has data maintained in China, by a Chinese company, as I recall.

I believe there was an article posted on freerepublic about it.

14 posted on 09/09/2022 7:18:07 AM PDT by marktwain
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To: FarCenter

Setting the narrative in case they lose


15 posted on 09/09/2022 7:22:15 AM PDT by struggle
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To: FarCenter

” will likely use information operations to “intimidate or influence” US voters, they noted. This is usually to put citizens off voting or turn them against each other”
__________________________

No, that’s the media’s job.


16 posted on 09/09/2022 7:23:34 AM PDT by xenia ( “Freedom is the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” George Orwell)
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To: FarCenter
‘highly confident’ foreign cyberspies will target US midterm elections"

Highly confident foreign cyber spies and highly competent fifth column operators within the USA!

They stole the 2020 election. The establishment covered for them--and/or was complicit. Why would they not be confident that they can steal the 2022 election--and any other election?

And note tagline!


17 posted on 09/09/2022 7:24:47 AM PDT by Savage Beast (Americans DESPISE the corrupt elites, their media toadies and their corruption of the US government!)
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To: FarCenter
TheRegister is garbage, and the authorette is a nimrod ratchet "belly dancer".


18 posted on 09/09/2022 7:58:13 AM PDT by StAnDeliver (Tanned, rested, and ready.)
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To: FarCenter

And by the way, How do you(generic) think the AP and Edison data feeds occur? certainly not thru email.


19 posted on 09/09/2022 8:21:15 AM PDT by kvanbrunt2
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To: FarCenter
Tuesday, March 8, 2022:

Google parent company Alphabet announced earlier on Tuesday that it plans to buy Cybersecurity firm Mandiant for around $5.4 billion, which makes it the second-largest acquisition in the company’s history.

Alphabet owns them. Yes, that's Google. More high tech democrat party interference...

20 posted on 09/09/2022 10:29:00 AM PDT by Alas Babylon! (Rush, we're missing your take on all of this!)
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