FBI and local officials work to protect elections from cyberattacks

A top FBI official says our democracy is under attack. The threat is out there: Our elections are under attack from Russia and other adversaries.

Rich Kolko, the WINK News Safety & Security Specialist, looked into what is being done to protect our elections.

“As we stand here today, countries across the globe are deploying efforts to strengthen themselves and weaken the United States, said Rachel Rojas, a former FBI colleague of Kolko, during a press conference in Tallahassee.

While the FBI and their partners are aware of ongoing threats to elections in the U.S., they are preparing for the next round of elections.

What they are doing:

• Putting together new task forces made up of federal, state and local law enforcement, even the U.S. National Guard
• Sending out cyber experts to each of the 67 Florida counties to test electronic voting systems for vulnerabilities

This is important because the presidential primary is only 137 days away.

The FBI has produced a series of videos for political campaigns, companies and individuals call “Protected Voices.”

We spoke to Tommy Doyle, the Lee County supervisor of elections. He let us know what is being done in the county to keep elections safe. Doyle said it’s a daily grind. But his office is focused on election security and network security.

And Doyle said he is very confident about handling the upcoming election in Lee County.

“Cybersecurity remains our top priority,” Doyle said. “Not only for Lee County, but for the entire state.”

MORE: 

• FBI – ‘Your voice matter so protect it’
• Homeland Security – Election Security 
• Florida Division of Elections 
• Lee County Elections