COLORADO SPRINGS — The election system in areas across the country is facing some of the heaviest scrutiny in our nation's history. News5 say down with a local cybersecurity expert to talk about securing our elections.
Dr. Erik Huffman works in the cybersecurity sector in the Pikes Peak Region. He says as people cast their votes in this year's midterm elections they should be confident that our system at the state and federal level is locked down by some of the top cybersecurity experts in the country. Many of them he knows personally from right here in our area.
"There is such little opportunity for it to happen and not be caught. so, for an attack to happen is plausible, but for it to happen and not have our brightest minds on the planet not catch it. I'm confident we have the right people sitting in the right seats both men and women to make sure our elections are safe,” said Dr. Huffman.
While he firmly believes the votes themselves and results are safe, he is concerned hackers could impact websites and push out bad information in an attempt to sow doubt and discord in the system and cause chaos in the United States.
"It creates a lot of doubt and it creates uprising and it fractures one of the foundational pieces of America. So it's not always someone sitting behind a keyboard and hacking, sometimes it's just creating some misinformation," said Dr. Huffman.
Dr. Huffman says he believes it's important that politicians on both sides of the aisle work together on policies focused on helping voters understand the election process and how the experts are keeping it safe.
News5 is helping you prepare for Election 2022 with guides to find out what's on the ballot, what it means to you, and where to deliver your ballot across the region. Click here for our Election Guide.
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