IN THE run-up to the attacks of September 11th 2001, said George Tenet, the former director of the CIA, America’s intelligence system was “blinking red”. On July 13th Dan Coats, the current director of national intelligence, invoked Mr Tenet’s language to convey the magnitude of the threat posed by foreign hackers. “The digital infrastructure that serves this country is literally under attack,” he said. “The warning lights are blinking red again.” Although Mr Coats expressed concern about infiltration from numerous countries, he called Russia “the most aggressive foreign actor”. Meanwhile, the president seems indifferent when it comes to the risk of Russian meddling with the mid-terms in November. How vulnerable are American elections?
If Vladimir Putin’s hackers did seek to intervene in the congressional elections in November, they would have two avenues. One, familiar after 2016, is to use social media and pretend news sites to spread disinformation or propaganda. It seems...Continue reading
Source: United States https://ift.tt/2NtrWJF
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