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Election officials pen letter opposing new CISA draft rule

A group of state election officials wrote a letter asking the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to dial back proposed requirements the officials said would be too onerous for understaffed local government offices.
(Getty Images)

Some state election officials are pushing back against a draft rule by U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency that would require election offices to disclose suspected cyberattacks to the federal government within a set window, arguing that the security agency is demanding too much from understaffed offices.

The Associated Press reported Wednesday that the executive board of the National Association of Secretaries of State sent CISA a letter proposing the agency’s new rules be voluntary instead of mandatory, limit the types of information requested and more clearly define what types of cyber incidents necessitate a report.

Under the current draft rules, critical infrastructure agencies are mandated to report suspected breaches or “substantial” cyberattacks within 72 hours and ransom payments within 24 hours.

According to CISA, a “substantial” cyberattack involves unauthorized access leading to significant operational downtime or impairments. Minor cyber incidents, such as phishing attempts or unauthorized activities that do not result in a prolonged outage, need not be reported.

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State and local election offices systems are considered critical infrastructure, along with the nation’s maritime ports, energy and agricultural sector, and therefore are subject to the mandated reporting requirement.

CISA is not expected to finalize the rules until next year.

Sophia Fox-Sowell

Written by Sophia Fox-Sowell

Sophia Fox-Sowell reports on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and government regulation for StateScoop. She was previously a multimedia producer for CNET, where her coverage focused on private sector innovation in food production, climate change and space through podcasts and video content. She earned her bachelor’s in anthropology at Wagner College and master’s in media innovation from Northeastern University.

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