Gen. Paul Nakasone, 2020 Wash100 Award recipient who leads both the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command, said the Department of Defense plays a vital role in the security of national elections, DoD News reported Monday. The Election Security Group, an organization within USCYBERCOM, stood up in response to Russian interference during the 2018 midterm elections.
"The biggest success was we put in place, both organizationally and from a business practice standpoint, a focus on an enduring mission to protect the democratic process," Nakasone said at the Reagan National Defense Forum.
The group works to investigate adversaries that pose cyber threats to election security. The FBI and entities from the Department of Homeland Security receive the group's information to protect elections from foreign threats.
On the other hand, USCYBERCOM uses hunt forward operations wherein cyber teams globally look into adversarial cyber activities. These operations provide situational awareness in support of national security. The NSA and the command work together to inform agencies concerned with potential attacks.
