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PSA 3.0: The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on Monday warned that foreign groups and other malicious actors online are spreading disinformation around potential cyberattacks on U.S. election infrastructure.
“During the 2020 election season, foreign actors and cyber criminals are spreading false and inconsistent information through various online platforms in an attempt to manipulate public opinion, discredit the electoral process, and undermine confidence in U.S. democratic institutions,” the agencies wrote in a joint public service announcement.
They noted that “these malicious actors could use these forums to also spread disinformation suggesting successful cyber operations have compromised election infrastructure and facilitated the ‘hacking’ and ‘leaking’ of U.S. voter registration data.”
Voter registration databases were successfully accessed in a few states by Russian agents ahead of the 2016 presidential election, though there is no evidence any voter registration rolls or ballots were changed.
The agencies warned that U.S. voter information is widely available through other avenues than illegal hacking, and that access to voter information had not impacted election results.
“The FBI and CISA have no information suggesting any cyberattack on U.S. election infrastructure has prevented an election from occurring, compromised the accuracy of voter registration information, prevented a registered voter from casting a ballot, or compromised the integrity of any ballots cast,” the agencies wrote.
THE WORST KIND OF ATTACK: Universal Health Services (UHS), a large hospital chain, has reportedly been targeted by hackers in what may be one of the nation’s largest cyberattacks on a medical system to date.
NBC News reported Monday that computer systems began to crash over the weekend across different locations operated by UHS, which has roughly 400 facilities across the U.S., Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom and employs 90,000 employees, according to its website.
One source told NBC News that the breach appears to be a ransomware attack, where hackers use malicious software to lock up computer networks and then demand payment to return access to these systems.
UHS in a statement described the matter as an “IT security issue” and noted its facilities are “currently offline.”
“We implement extensive IT security protocols and are working diligently with our IT security partners to restore IT operations as quickly as possible. In the meantime, our facilities are using their established back-up processes including offline documentation methods. Patient care continues to be delivered safely and effectively,” the statement reads.
It added that it does not appear that data of patients or employees “have been accessed, copied or misused.”
The Hill reported earlier this year that hospitals are increasingly bracing for such attacks, particularly with health care facilities being seen as easy prey amid a surge in patients and critical equipment shortages stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.
TEMPORARY WIN FOR TIKTOK: A federal judge on Sunday temporarily blocked President Trump‘s TikTok ban just hours before it was set to go into effect, NPR reports.
Judge Carl Nichols, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, halted the ban after TikTok’s attorneys argued that Trump’s ban infringes on rights to free speech and due process. Information about his opinion was not immediately available.
Attorneys for the company called the popular video app a “modern day version of the town square” in a telephonic hearing Sunday, according to the news outlet. The company will now be allowed to continue to operate in the U.S. at least until the case goes to a full hearing.
Trump’s ban would have forced the removal of TikTok from smartphone app stores and end app updates, meaning no new users could download the app and it would eventually become nonfunctional.
TikTok had filed for an injunction to halt the app store ban on Wednesday. The ban was a result of an executive order signed by Trump last month targeting ByteDance’s video platform as well as the WeChat messaging app owned by China’s Tencent technology company.
PAPER BACKUP WIN: A federal judge on Monday ordered state officials in Georgia to provide to precincts backup paper poll books with lists of all eligible voters. It’s part of an effort to prevent long lines and improve procedures during November’s general election.
The poll books are used to check voter registration at polling sites and were partially responsible for voting difficulties in some districts in Georgia during the June primaries.
U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg, who was nominated by former President Obama, ruled that Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) must immediately send paper formats of all the information contained in electronic poll books and require election officials to use this paper backup in the case of a machine malfunction.
Totenberg also ordered Raffensperger to ensure that emergency paper ballots are available at precincts to ensure Georgia voters can cast a ballot in the case of a malfunction, and additionally to ensure election officials are trained in how to handle both paper poll books and emergency ballots.
“The narrowly tailored relief ordered directs that the State Defendants provide at least a modicum of the voting backup plan tools essential to protecting voters’ constitutionally protected ability and right to cast a ballot that is counted and given the same weight as any other on this coming November 3rd general election day and thereafter,” Totenberg wrote in the 67-page order.
Totenberg noted that “it is not too late” for state officials to “take these reasonable concrete measures to mitigate the real potential harms that would otherwise likely transpire at precinct polling locations grappling with the boiling brew created by the combination of new voting equipment issues and old voter data system deficiencies.”
The Associated Press reported that Raffensperger plans to appeal the ruling. Raffensperger stated that his office and election officials “are preparing Georgia for the biggest election turnout in history, and it will do so successfully despite the constant distraction of litigation filed by activists determined to undermine the credibility of our elections.”
UBER CROSSES THE POND (AGAIN): A judge in the United Kingdom ruled in favor of ride-hailing app Uber on Monday, allowing the company to operate in the city of London for 18 months with conditions.
The Associated Press reported that a judge overturned a decision from the transportation agency overseeing London and the surrounding areas, Transport for London, and moved to grant the company its first license in the city since it has faced two rejections in recent years.
“Uber doesn’t have a perfect record but it has an improving picture,” Deputy Chief Magistrate Tanweer Ikram said in his ruling, according to the AP. “I am satisfied that they are doing what a reasonable business in their sector could be expected to do, perhaps even more.”
Uber has continued operation in the city as it appealed its license following the first decision to revoke it in 2017, a decision made by Transport for London over alleged corporate irresponsibility. The license was rejected again in 2019 over breaches in its app that regulators said put citizens at risk, such as one that allowed some drivers to give rides without insurance.
A spokesperson for the company pledged to continue to work with Transport for London to continue to comply with the agency’s regulations.
NYT BOARD HAS QUESTIONS: The editorial board of The New York Times is imploring the world’s leading social media and technology companies to prepare themselves for a scenario in which President Trump claims victory on election night before he has been officially declared the winner.
“Imagine: It’s midnight, and the electoral map looks quite red. But news networks and election officials aren’t calling the swing states, as this year’s record numbers of mail-in and absentee ballots have yet to be fully counted,” the Times wrote in an editorial published Sunday.
“Mr. Trump, leading in the popular vote, decides he’s seen enough. He takes to his social media platforms and declares that he has won re-election and will accept no other result. He tells his tens of millions of followers that the Democrats and the press will try to change the result and steal the election. The door to unrest and constitutional crisis swings wide open.”
Trump has for weeks questioned the integrity of voting by mail, arguing they would lead to fraud. Experts say there is no reason to think there would be more fraud with mail-in voting than in-person voting.
The president cited these concerns when asked if he would accept the November election’s result and commit to a peaceful transition of power should he lose.
“Well, we’re going to have to see what happens,” Trump told reporters last week. “I’ve been complaining very strongly about the ballots, and the ballots are a disaster.”
Lighter click: Cute dogs make Mondays better
An op-ed to chew on: Show me who bans TikTok and I’ll show you your (future) allies
NOTABLE LINKS FROM AROUND THE WEB:
Apple and Epic Games spar over returning Fortnite to the App Store (New York Times / Erin Griffith)
Revealed: Trump campaign strategy to deter millions of Black Americans from voting in 2016 (Channel 4 News / Channel 4 News Investigative Team)
Israel, UAE say they’re allies in cyberspace. They have plenty of tech power to draw upon (CyberScoop / Sean Lyngaas)
Spice up your next Zoom meeting by inviting a goat (Vice Motherboard / Samantha Cole)