In a recent article for “Scientific American,” J. Alex Halderman, professor of computer science and engineering, warns that the 2020 presidential election is vulnerable to cyberattacks if appropriate steps are not taken at the state level. Cyberattacks on elections can both influence outcomes and “shakes people’s confidence in democracy.”
He says the current election system is largely based on faith and should be based on evidence. The solution, he says, does not require billions or dollars or decades of research. “Election-security challenges can be solved without any major scientific breakthroughs and for only a few hundred million dollars. It’s just a matter of political will.”
