As of Aug. 7, 2018, 36 out of 50 U.S. states have implemented a specific brand of network monitoring sensor solution within their election infrastructures in order to help quash cyberattacks against elections and voters, Reuters has reported today, citing multiple government cybersecurity experts.
These "Albert" sensors, from the non-profit Center for Internet Security, deliver automated threat alerts when a potential intrusion is detected. Citing Matthew Masterson, a senior adviser on election security for the Department of Homeland Security, Reuters reported that so far 74 sensors across 38 countries and other local government offices have been installed -- which more than quadruples the 14 sensors that were active at the time of the 2016 U.S. elections.
The larger number of sensors will improve how cybersecurity experts collect data on voting system intrusions and share threat intelligence with other states, because the data feeds directly into an exchange and is then viewed by DHS, Reuters explained.
According to the report, the states that have yet to install an Albert sensor in the run-up to the critical 2018 mid-term elections either still plan to do so, or they have selected a different solution, or they refused to the offer due to federal government overreach concerns.
