Staff Reports
As the 2024 elections approach, the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command are making preparations to confront foreign cyber threats, with particular attention given to potential changes in China's strategy prior to November. NSA and Cyber Command head of the Army General Paul Nakasone disclosed that his team has activated their Election Security Group and is on high alert due to the widespread excitement surrounding artificial intelligence and China's potential schemes.
Federal cyber officials steel for Chinese threat to 2024 elections – https://t.co/zpF9XVyaEo – @washtimes
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General Nakasone stated at an event that they are anxiously anticipating China's performance in the forthcoming elections. They are contemplating whether China will adhere to its 2022 strategy of targeting specific elections, or whether they will expand their efforts this time. However, the general refrained from disclosing specific elections that China was aiming to influence.
The Election Security Group, which began as a small squad to defend against Russian cyber attackers before the 2018 election, has been pounding iron ever since. In light of the increasing risks to elections, they have intensified their efforts and are now solely preoccupied with external threats. The information is relayed by this group of intelligence aficionados, operations specialists, and strategists to the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security.
It is abundantly obvious that General Nakasone's organization is gearing up for the November elections. They are determined to acquire intelligence, exchange details, and execute strategies. They are highly motivated to engage in direct competition with foreign opponents, demonstrating their prowess on their home soil.
The current discourse surrounding the actions of the U.S. intelligence community in relation to elections has been further intensified by a few retired personnel. Before the 2020 presidential election, fifty-one former intelligence industry heavyweights agreed that the Hunter Biden email scandal "smelled fishy" and appeared to have been orchestrated by the Russians. These vociferous individuals faced criticism for purportedly repurposing their previous occupation as a political instrument to bolster the campaign of President Biden. A report authored by House Republicans in May 2023 criticized the CIA's Prepublication Classification Review Board for approving the aforementioned statement prior to its dissemination.
