A new report by Freedom House shows that digital election interference by domestic or foreign actors occurred in 26 of the 30 countries that held national elections or referendums in the past year.
When it comes to foreign threat actors, the major culprits seem to be Russia and China. The latter has been linked to cyberattacks on the Australian parliament and three major political parties in February of this year, three months before federal elections were held in Australia. Russia is thought to be behind cyber campaigns targeting Ukraine’s Central Election Commission in the period leading up to the April–May 2019 presidential election. In addition, Russian state-sponsored hackers carried out online disinformation campaigns targeting US voters ahead of the 2018 US midterm elections as well as European voters prior to the May 2019 European Parliament elections.
Read more: Online Election Interference Widespread, Report Reveals
