Election officials push back against draft federal rule for reporting potential cyberattacks

Associated Press

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A group of state election officials is urging the nation’s cybersecurity agency to revise a draft rule that would require election offices to disclose suspected cyberattacks to the federal government, casting the mandate as too burdensome on overworked local officials. The new rule is the result of a 2022 federal law that directed the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to develop regulations that require certain entities to report potential cybersecurity breaches or ransomware attacks to the agency. Election offices fall under the requirement because election systems are considered critical infrastructure, along with the nation’s banks, power plants and dams.