NewsPronto

 
The Times


.

USA Conversation

The Conversation USA

The Conversation USA

Ransomware can interfere with elections and fuel disinformation – basic cybersecurity precautions are key to minimizing the damage

  • Written by Richard Forno, Senior Lecturer, Cybersecurity & internet researcher, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
imageRansomware attacks often strike local government computer systems, which poses a challenge for protecting elections.PRImageFactory/iStock via Getty Images

Government computer systems in Hall County, Georgia, including a voter signature database, were hit by a ransomware attack earlier this fall in the first known ransomware attack on election...

Read more: Ransomware can interfere with elections and fuel disinformation – basic cybersecurity precautions...

More Articles ...

  1. The US economy's record swings: 4 essential reads
  2. Want to teach kids about nature? Insects can help
  3. Rumors of Chris Pratt's being a 'MAGA Bro' show how Twitter's trending function can go haywire
  4. Why Americans are so enamored with election polls
  5. To save threatened plants and animals, restore habitat on farms, ranches and other working lands
  6. How 'strategic' bias keeps Americans from voting for women and candidates of color
  7. Will Russia influence the American vote?
  8. American suburbs radically changed over the decades – and so have their politics
  9. Gig worker employment fights like those in California pit flexibility against a livable wage – but 'platform cooperatives' could ensure workers get both
  10. Google antitrust case suggests Apple should be in the Department of Justice’s crosshairs too
  11. Halloween isn't about candy and costumes for modern-day pagans – witches mark Halloween with reflections on death as well as magic
  12. Why sleep experts say it's time to ditch daylight saving time
  13. On Twitter, bots spread conspiracy theories and QAnon talking points
  14. People's bodies now run cooler than 'normal' – even in the Bolivian Amazon
  15. For a growing number of evangelical Christians, Trump is no longer the lesser of two evils
  16. Cigarette smoke can reprogram cells in your airways, causing COPD to hang on after smoking ends
  17. Achieving COVID-19 herd immunity through infection is dangerous, deadly and might not even work
  18. Scientists at work: Sloshing through marshes to see how birds survive hurricanes
  19. Americans living and serving overseas could tilt the 2020 election – if only they voted
  20. No, President Trump, suburbia is no longer all white — and Black suburbanites are more politically active than their neighbors
  21. Where’s the sea ice? 3 reasons the Arctic freeze is unseasonably late and why it matters
  22. An Italian teen is set to become the first millennial saint, but canonizing children is nothing new in the Catholic Church
  23. Refugees don't undermine the US economy – they energize it
  24. Fox News viewers write about 'BLM' the same way CNN viewers write about 'KKK'
  25. Trump's ultra-low tax bills are what happens when government tries to make policy through the tax code
  26. 3 things I learned from teaching students about horror pioneer George Romero's movies during these scary times
  27. Giant 'toothed' birds flew over Antarctica 40 million to 50 million years ago
  28. How state courts – not federal judges – could protect voting rights
  29. Estas son ocho maneras como tu vida será afectada si Obamacare desaparece
  30. Health insurers are starting to roll back coverage for telehealth – even though demand is way up due to COVID-19
  31. Viktor Orbán's use and misuse of religion serves as a warning to Western democracies
  32. If a robot is conscious, is it OK to turn it off? The moral implications of building true AIs
  33. Undocumented immigrants may actually make American communities safer – not more dangerous – new study finds
  34. A contested election: 5 essential reads
  35. Wildfires force thousands to evacuate near Los Angeles: Here's how the 2020 Western fire season got so extreme
  36. SNAP benefits cost a total of $85.6B in the 2020 fiscal year amid heightened US poverty and unemployment
  37. Initiatives to close the digital divide must last beyond the COVID-19 pandemic to work
  38. The Conversation and Burroughs Wellcome Fund announce partnership to encourage more diverse expert voices in the media
  39. ¿Harto del COVID-19? Aquí te decimos por qué podrías tener fatiga pandémica
  40. Feeling scared about how your kids can enjoy Halloween this year? Have no fear – healthy snacks are here
  41. Are 50 Cent, Ice Cube and young Black men the supporters who will enable Trump's return to the White House? Not exactly
  42. Chile abolishes its dictatorship-era constitution in groundbreaking vote for a more inclusive democracy
  43. In rural America, resentment over COVID-19 shutdowns is colliding with rising case numbers
  44. Why mixed messaging can erode trust in institutions
  45. The spooky and dangerous side of black licorice
  46. Your dog's nose knows no bounds – and neither does its love for you
  47. Rats help clear minefields in Cambodia – and suspicion of the military
  48. Severed families, raided workplaces and a climate of fear: Assessing Trump's immigration crackdown
  49. Trump's trade war – what was it good for? Not much
  50. Kids are probably more strategic about swapping Halloween candy and other stuff than you might think