Advisory on Iranian APT Actor Targeting Voter Registration Data

On the topic of activities that could help trigger election-related civil unrest and violence, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have released a joint cybersecurity advisory on an Iranian advanced persistent threat (APT) actor targeting U.S. state websites, including elections websites, to obtain voter registration data. CISA and the FBI assess this actor is responsible for the mass dissemination of voter intimidation emails to U.S. citizens and the dissemination of U.S. election-related disinformation in mid-October 2020. Further evaluation by CISA and the FBI has identified the targeting of U.S. state election websites was an intentional effort to influence and interfere with the 2020 U.S. presidential election. The advisory contains further technical details of the activity that was observed and offers mitigation recommendations. Read the advisory at CISA.

For more information on election-themed misinformation, including what to watch out for, read this article at Cyber Scoop.