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State, county officials meet in Bloomington to discuss election cybersecurity

"Vote here" sign on the ground, with an arrow directing voters to the polling location.
File photo: Rebecca Green
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WBOI News

Less than three months remain until the 2024 general election, and Indiana cybersecurity officials say they’re preparing for any possible threat.

A panel of experts met Thursday at Monroe County elections headquarters in Bloomington for a roundtable discussion hosted by the clerk’s office.

Read more: Residents weigh in on Monroe County vote centers

Monroe County clerk Nicole Browne says she’s committed to maintaining an elections cybersecurity infrastructure that’s “beyond reproach.”

"I want everybody on this panel, everybody in this room, everybody who gets to watch this and experience this, to feel confident in what we deliver on Election Day,” Browne said.

Browne said she hoped the discussion would highlight the many agencies and experts that are already working to deliver a quality election in November.

Officials from the Indiana Secretary of State’s office and the federal Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency also joined the discussion.

They said they’re prepared for a range of possible disruptions on Election Day — from bad weather causing power outages to foreign interference.

Isak Asare, executive director of the Indiana University cybersecurity clinic and a member of the Bloomington city council, said IU employs more cybersecurity professionals than any university, "and that connection to this region puts us in a very strong position and a good posture."

"We are very fortunate to be one of the leading institutions, in collaboration with Purdue, at that cybersecurity level," he said.

Asare said it was important for the general public to hear reassuring information about the security of elections considering how often threats are discussed.

"I think sometimes we sort of can elevate the problem maybe to make you think that people in Iran are sitting there thinking right now, 'Monroe County, that's the place we're going for.' But realistically we have put a lot of investment ... in creating the infrastructure," he said.

The county’s chief technology officer, Greg Crohn, also spoke about preparedness. He said a ransomware attack on Monroe County servers this summer didn’t appear to target or obtain any local voter information.

Crohn says a third-party investigation is likely to end in about one or two months.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5. Early voting starts in October.