Senate advances bill to make election hacking a federal crime

The U.S. Senate advanced legislation last week that would make it a federal crime to hack voting systems.

The Defending the Integrity of Voting Systems Act would give the Department of Justice the ability to investigate and prosecute those who seek to manipulate elections systems equipment.

“Russia and other hostile actors are constantly trying to breach the cyber defenses of our voting systems and other critical infrastructure in an attempt to weaken the United States,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) said. “Protecting the instruments of democracy from foreign intrusion is vital to our national security and should be the goal of every member of Congress.”

The bill now moves to the U.S. House of Representatives for consideration.

“Our election systems need strong safeguards against enemy hackers seeking to subvert our democracy. Voting machines are a prime penetrable target, and laws remain woefully outdated. This bipartisan bill provides the Department of Justice with powerful tools to vigorously prosecute and stop malicious hackers. Its unanimous passage tells the world that securing our nation’s elections and cyberinfrastructure is a bipartisan cause,” Sen Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said Russian interference in the 2016 election exposed just a small piece of the cyber capabilities of adversaries.

“Seeking to undermine American democracy and our standing on the world stage, hostile nations like Russia, Iran, China, and North Korea work every day to develop new cyber weapons to deploy against the United States. We should be particularly vigilant of our voting systems,” Graham said.