Hackers more focused on misleading voters than ballot tampering: Report
Key takeaways
- These risks, also seen in at least the past two election cycles, are amplified by artificial intelligence, giving malicious actors cheaper, broader and faster deception methods according to researchers.
- Aaron Rose, security architect manager for Check Point, called it an attack on the mind, in a recent interview with The Hill.
- If you are able to confuse 10,000 people in a swing county or swing state, that alone could change the outcome of the election, Rose said, because you ve confused them about voting locations or who the options are.
Why this matters: political developments that affect policy direction and public trust.
Link copied by Miranda Nazzaro - 06/01/26 6:00 AM ET Link copied NOW PLAYING Hackers and foreign influence operators are increasingly turning to misinformation campaigns to confuse and mislead voters rather than tampering with voting machines and ballots in the 2026 midterm elections, a new cybersecurity report found.
The report, published Monday by cybersecurity firm Check Point Software, said attempts at phishing, impersonation and misinformation activity will be most prevalent this election cycle, targeting election-related systems and services.
These risks, also seen in at least the past two election cycles, are amplified by artificial intelligence, giving malicious actors cheaper, broader and faster deception methods according to researchers. This has led to an increase of altered videos or audio and deceptive pictures populating online, along with more targeted phishing attempts.