iTnews

Tech giants will help defend elections from hackers

By Juha Saarinen, iTnews on Jul 19, 2017 7:10AM
Tech giants will help defend elections from hackers

Will provide advice to Defending Digital Democracy project.

Harvard University has established a project to provide practical cyber security advice and solutions for political parties following widespread allegations of Russian interference and hacking in last year's US presidential elections.

The Defending Digital Democracy project was set up by the Belfer Centre for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School, and is run by Erich Rosenbach, former US assistant secretary of Defence.

Rosenbach is joined by Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign manager Robby Mook, and Mitt Romney's 2012 campaign manager Matt Rhoades.

Alex Stamos, Facebook chief security officer; Google's infosec and privacy director Heather Adkins; and founder of security vendor Crowdstrike, Dmitri Alperovich, will advise the DDD project on cyber security.

The DDD said over the past two years, almost every election in the US and Europe has been affected by cyber attacks.

“Cyber attacks on campaigns and elections are a threat to our democracy and affect people of all political stripes,” Rhoades said.

"Foreign actors could target any political party at any time, and that means we all need to work together to address these vulnerabilities."

The DDD will seek to provide practical cyber security advice to political parties on how to defend themselves against hacking, and share threat information with parties, technology providers, and governments.

The project will also develop practical manuals to help political organisations improve their security postures, and develop strategies to credibly deter hostile foreign actors from cyber and information operations.

It will also assess blockchain and other emerging technologies that could help improve the integrity of systems and processes used for elections and democratic functions.

Got a news tip for our journalists? Share it with us anonymously here.
Copyright © iTnews.com.au . All rights reserved.
Tags:
belfer centre of science and international affairs crowdstrike defending digital democracy facebook google harvard strategy

Partner Content

MSI shows first laptops with Wi-Fi 6E, Nvidia RTX 30 graphics
Partner Content MSI shows first laptops with Wi-Fi 6E, Nvidia RTX 30 graphics
MSI launches innovative new laptops
Partner Content MSI launches innovative new laptops
Improving returns from SD-WAN spending
Sponsored Content Improving returns from SD-WAN spending
NCS expands into Australia in partnership with Optus Enterprise
Sponsored Content NCS expands into Australia in partnership with Optus Enterprise

Sponsored Whitepapers

The risky business of open source
The risky business of open source
Ensure your e-signatures are legally binding
Ensure your e-signatures are legally binding
Mitigating open source risk in your organisation
Mitigating open source risk in your organisation
How to choose a WAF that's right for you
How to choose a WAF that's right for you
The global telco 5G cloud gaming opportunity
The global telco 5G cloud gaming opportunity

Events

  • On-Demand Webinar: How Poly and Microsoft are Embracing Future Work Environments
  • Beat the DDoS blackmailers in 2021
By Juha Saarinen, iTnews
Jul 19 2017
7:10AM
0 Comments

Related Articles

  • Google, Facebook asked to give insider access to algorithmic changes
  • US lawmakers accuse Big Tech of crushing rivals to boost profits
  • Facebook, Google ask San Francisco staff to work from home as coronavirus spreads
  • Britain to make social media platforms responsible for harmful content
Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share on Whatsapp Email A Friend

Most Read Articles

Telstra blasts plan to 'set aside' mobile spectrum for Optus and TPG, but not it

Telstra blasts plan to 'set aside' mobile spectrum for Optus and TPG, but not it

Google unravels state-of-art Android and Windows exploit chains

Google unravels state-of-art Android and Windows exploit chains

Tyro halts trading following week-long outage

Tyro halts trading following week-long outage

Woolworths to build a platform to host subscription-based services

Woolworths to build a platform to host subscription-based services

You must be a registered member of iTnews to post a comment.
Log In | Register
All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any form without prior authorisation.
Your use of this website constitutes acceptance of nextmedia's Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.