The head of the nation’s cybersecurity agency says efforts to protect the nation’s election systems have grown exponentially since the 2016 presidential election, but more is needed to defend the integrity and resiliency of the election process ahead of next year’s vote. U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency director Jen Easterly announced plans Tuesday to boost resources within the agency, hiring 10 additional election security specialists who will be based across the country to interact directly with state and local officials. CISA is charged with protecting critical infrastructure, including the nation’s dams, banks and nuclear power plants. U.S. voting systems were added after the 2016 election.
