This year’s US election has given rise to plenty of peculiar developments. Here is another one: Carbon Black, a cyber security firm, has released a poll suggesting that 58 per cent of voters think it “likely” that electronic voting machines could be cyber-hacked. Indeed, popular concern is so high that 15m voters may refuse to participate, Carbon Black says, noting that “voters believe a US insider threat (28 per cent), Russia (17 per cent) and the candidates themselves (15 per cent) pose the biggest risks”.
It might seem tempting to dismiss this as marketing, or as a sign of the febrile political mood, but discounting that 58 per cent number that would be a terrible mistake. One reason is that many US government officials quietly share voters’ concerns. Little wonder. Small cyber breaches of the electoral register have already occurred in Arizona and Illinois. Several states are thought to be vulnerable to attacks on the election system, particularly those, like Pennsylvania, that use “direct-recording electronic” machines to tally the vote. “Pennsylvania, largely thought to be a key battleground state in the upcoming election, may be the largest concern when it comes to electronic voting machines,” Carbon Black suggests.
Even if election fears turn out to be misplaced, they highlight a bigger point: a new front is opening up in cyber warfare. This has big implications for both political pundits and business leaders.