Foreign government-backed adversaries and cybercriminals are increasingly targeting U.S. political campaigns, driven by various motives ranging from disruption to financial gain. No matter the size or focus of your campaign, it’s likely to be a target for cyberattacks. These threats can harm your credibility, compromise sensitive data, and disrupt your operations at critical moments.
In this article, we’ll outline four common cybersecurity threats your campaign faces and provide practical steps to protect against them. Eligible campaigns should reach out to Defending Digital Campaigns for additional assistance and resources. Staying informed and implementing preventative measures is essential to safeguarding your campaign’s integrity and success.
Phishing Or Spear Phishing
Phishing is a deceptive technique used by attackers to trick individuals into revealing sensitive information, such as login credentials or personal data. The attacker typically poses as a trusted individual or organization, sending emails or messages that appear legitimate but are designed to steal information. Spear phishing is a more targeted version, often aimed at specific individuals within a campaign.
How To Protect Yourself
- Carefully scrutinize incoming messages – especially if they are unexpected – to ensure they come from the correct source by verifying the domain.
- Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) to make it more difficult for attackers to gain access to accounts, even if your password is compromised.
Theft Of Campaign Funds
With the fast-paced nature of campaigns, particularly near election day, large sums of money are often transferred quickly, making them prime targets for theft. Cybercriminals may intercept or manipulate communications to divert funds into fraudulent accounts. This can occur through tactics like wire fraud or fake invoices sent to campaign staff.
How To Protect Yourself
- Always verify any bank account details verbally with a trusted individual.
- Establish clear protocols for financial transactions, ensuring multiple levels of approval and oversight before funds are transferred.
Website Attacks
Campaign websites are frequent targets for cyberattacks, especially in the lead-up to elections. These attacks can range from Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS), where attackers flood the site with traffic to make it inaccessible, to defacing content with obscene or misleading information. Such disruptions can damage a campaign’s credibility and hinder its communication with voters.
How To Protect Yourself
- Use Cloudflare for Campaigns to defend against DDoS attacks.
- Secure your site by enforcing strong, unique passwords with LastPass (also free).
- Limit access to only essential personnel and remove access for terminated employees or vendors
Social Media Account Takeovers
Political campaigns often rely on social media for outreach, making these accounts attractive targets for cybercriminals. A successful takeover can lead to the spread of misinformation, spam, or even harmful content, damaging the campaign’s reputation and eroding voter trust. These attacks can be carried out through phishing, weak passwords, or exploiting vulnerabilities in account security.
How To Protect Yourself
- Use tools like Doppel to monitor for unauthorized access and Facebook Protect to enhance security for high-risk accounts.
- Always enabled two-factor authentication and limit access.
Conclusion
Cybersecurity threats are a constant reality for political campaigns, with attacks becoming more sophisticated and frequent as elections near. Protecting your campaign from these risks requires vigilance, strong security protocols, and the right tools. By understanding and preparing for common threats like phishing, theft of funds, website attacks, and social media takeovers, you can reduce the likelihood of a breach.
Investing time and resources into cybersecurity isn’t just about preventing attacks—it’s about ensuring your campaign can operate smoothly, maintain credibility, and stay focused on winning. Proactive measures now can save you from costly disruptions later.
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