The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has concluded its mission to safeguard the 2024 elections, describing it as one of the most challenging in the nation’s history. Senior Advisor to CISA Director Jen Easterly, Kate Conley, emphasized that the threats faced this year were unprecedented.
Among the threats were the delivery of suspicious envelopes containing fentanyl-laced white powder to election offices, attacks on the homes of election officials, the destruction of ballot drop boxes, attempts to hack voting equipment suppliers, and cyberattacks on election-related websites. Additionally, there were extensive efforts by foreign troll farms to sway public opinion in the lead-up to the elections.
Conley highlighted that Iran and other nations spearheaded aggressive disinformation campaigns aimed at undermining trust in the electoral process. Despite this, CISA reported that “there is no evidence of malicious activity that significantly impacted the electoral process,” crediting the agency’s intensified efforts.
To mitigate these threats, CISA undertook an extensive security campaign: conducting over 700 election infrastructure security assessments, performing weekly vulnerability evaluations, organizing 200 tabletop exercises, and hosting more than 500 training sessions for staff. These measures bolstered the resilience of voting infrastructure and prevented significant incidents.
Nevertheless, the future of the agency remains uncertain. President-elect Donald Trump, set to take office next week, has already expressed intentions to redirect CISA’s priorities. South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), stated that the agency should scale back its focus on combating disinformation and concentrate on core objectives—preventing cyberattacks and protecting critical infrastructure.
“CISA has strayed too far from its mission,” Noem declared during Congressional hearings. “The agency’s resources are being misallocated. Disinformation and its countermeasures must take a backseat.”
Meanwhile, Conley and her team argue that countering foreign interference remains a critical responsibility. “Election security is not a political issue; it is a necessity,” she asserted in her final report.
What is clear for now is that CISA’s trajectory will shift based on the new administration’s priorities, leaving the agency’s role in combating foreign influence uncertain.
