The Democratic National Committee has issued updated cybersecurity recommendations meant to prevent the party from falling prey to hackers like happened during the 2016 elections, a report said Friday.
Politico reported that the DNC distributed a six-page “security checklist” containing various steps for campaigns to take to safeguards their devices and accounts, supplanting similar guidance issued ahead of the 2018 midterm races.
The latest checklist repeats earlier advice, including using password managers and securing accounts with two-factor authentication, in addition to new recommendations like using email services provided either by Microsoft or Google, and encrypted chat applications like Signal and Wickr, Politico reported.
Other guidance added to the security checklist include reviewing the privacy settings of social media accounts and answering online security questions without disclosing sensitive information, the report said.
“Our adversaries are already at work, whether a candidate has announced or not. At the DNC, we’ve put together a checklist of steps we are encouraging everyone to take — from presidential candidates down to field staff and volunteers — that will dramatically improve their security posture,” Bob Lord, the DNC chief security officer, said in a statement, Politico reported.
The DNC is “here to assist campaigns in the creation of an overall security program that is tailored to their current landscape and challenges,” Mr. Lord added, according to Politico.
Democratic party material, including internal DNC emails and other correspondence, were leaked online during the 2016 election by outlets including the WikiLeaks website and Guccifer 2.0, a pseudonymous internet persona.
Federal law enforcement and intelligence officials have since determined that the material was sourced by state-sponsored hackers working on behalf of the Russian government, and the Department of Justice has filed criminal charges against several Russia military officers implicated in the heist as part of the special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into the 2016 race.
Moscow has repeatedly denied responsibility for the DNC breach and similar hacks.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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