Science & Tech · Cybersecurity · 2 hrs ago
DHS officials asked CISA to secretly test a voting machine
DHS political appointees asked CISA to secretly hack a voting machine early in President Trump’s second term, according to two former officials.
They were also told to share any flaws they found only with the White House, not the machine’s manufacturer.
CISA’s usual practice is to alert manufacturers to security weaknesses so they can address them.
CISA staff said job cuts left them unable to do the requested test, as the agency has lost about 1,000 jobs since Trump returned to office.
CISA has helped protect election systems from cyberattacks since 2018, but staffing and funding cuts have reduced its work.
Some state officials say they no longer trust the agency to support election security ahead of the midterm elections.
Early voting has begun in some states, and some North Carolina university polling sites have closed, making it harder for students to vote.
Department of Homeland Security allies in the Trump administration asked CISA to secretly acquire and hack a voting machine, according to two former officials cited by ProPublica.
The officials said CISA was told not to disclose any vulnerabilities it found to the manufacturer and to share them only with the White House.
CISA employees said the agency could not fulfill the request after job cuts left it without the capacity to do so.
The request departed from CISA’s usual practice of notifying manufacturers about vulnerabilities, the article says.
The agency has cut 1,000 jobs since the start of Trump’s second term, and further funding cuts in 2027 could lead to 900 more job losses.
- Who
- DHS allies in the Trump administration made the request to CISA.
- What
- CISA was asked to secretly acquire and hack a voting machine, and not disclose vulnerabilities to its manufacturer.
- When
- Towards the start of President Trump’s second term.
- Where
- The request was made to CISA, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. The machine’s location is not stated.
- Why
- The reason for the request is not stated. A former official said they feared the findings could be kept to challenge election results.
Trump administration political appointees
CISA employees
Request
Trump administration political appointees
They asked CISA to hack a voting machine and not disclose vulnerabilities to the manufacturer.
CISA employees
Employees said the request could not be fulfilled because of job cuts.
Disclosure
Trump administration political appointees
They explicitly asked CISA not to follow its usual practice of telling manufacturers about vulnerabilities.
CISA employees
CISA’s standard practice is to notify manufacturers of vulnerabilities.
DHS allies tasked CISA with secretly acquiring and hacking a voting machine.
CISA employees told political appointees that the agency could not fulfill it.
CISA has cut 1,000 jobs.
Further funding cuts are likely to result in 900 more job losses, according to the article.
- Agency
- Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
- Jobs cut
- 1,000 since the start of Trump’s second term
- Potential further job losses
- 900 in 2027
- CISA’s election role
- Responsible for helping protect election infrastructure from cyber attacks and interference since 2018
- Sources for the request
- Two former administration officials cited by ProPublica
What people are saying
My thought was they could keep it in their back pocket to invalidate any [election] results they don’t like.
This goes against everything CISA represents.
President Trump has done more than any other President to ensure we have free and fair elections.
I don’t pay attention to what the president says. I pay attention to what his administration does.