WASHINGTON, D.C. -- President Obama’s cybersecurity czar says the when it comes to election security, the United States is better prepared for 2020 than it was for 2016. Even so, he says there is more work to be done.

  • Michael Daniel, who served as cybersecurity coordinator on the National Security Council staff, reflected on the status of America’s readiness.
  • Daniel argues Congress should approve more money to help states reinforce their election infrastructure, and make that funding recurring.
  • Daniel did offer praise specifically for the Department of Homeland Security, especially their efforts to improve the lines of communication between the states and the federal government.

Michael Daniel, who served as cybersecurity coordinator on the National Security Council staff, reflected on the status of America’s readiness just days after the release of the Mueller Report, which shed new light on Russia’s efforts to meddle in the last presidential election.

“The adversaries are going to try to carry out those kinds of activities. What we can do is make ourselves better prepared to deal with them,” said Daniel, who currently serves as president and CEO of the Cyber Threat Alliance.

The special counsel report lays out a multi-pronged attack by the Russians. According to the report, they hacked the DNC and Clinton campaign, they attempted to hack local election systems (and apparently succeeded in infiltrating one county in Florida), and they launched a disinformation campaign on social media.

Daniel argues Congress should approve more money to help states reinforce their election infrastructure, and make that funding recurring. Congress has already signed off on roughly $380 million.

“You can’t just buy the latest widget, the latest 'snortfablulator,' whatever the product is, stick it on your network and you're done,” Daniel said. “Cybersecurity doesn't work that way. It's an ongoing process.”

Over at the White House, questions loom about how seriously the president is taking election security. Recently, The New York Times published an article highlighting how a top administration official was reportedly warned against talking to the president about preparations to counter Russian interference in 2020.

“It is abundantly clear from the Trump administration overall, cybersecurity and those associated issues, are not as high a priority for this White House as they were frankly for the Obama or the Bush administrations,” Daniel said.

The Times notes that White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, who reportedly warned against bringing the matter up with the president, said he does recall “anything along those lines happening in any meeting.”

Daniel did offer praise specifically for the Department of Homeland Security, especially their efforts to improve the lines of communication between the states and the federal government.

Elections are decentralized in the United States, meaning each state does things a bit differently. For that reason, Daniel said, relationships between the states and the feds are key, allowing them to, among other things, swap security tips.

Those ties could be especially important going forward, when Daniel says the threat will not just be Russia, but likely other countries and actors as well.

“This is now going to be the new normal for dealing elections, that we're going to have to consider this threat environment,” Daniel said.

The Times notes that White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, who reportedly warned against bringing the matter up with the president, said he does recall “anything along those lines happening in any meeting.”
The Times notes that White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, who reportedly warned against bringing the matter up with the president, said he does recall “anything along those lines happening in any meeting.”
The Times notes that White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, who reportedly warned against bringing the matter up with the president, said he does recall “anything along those lines happening in any meeting.”