Ballot box ‘integrity’ boost for cyber firms
The chief executive of Mcafee says cyber security firms will experience higher demand for election protection as authorities in countries such as the UK and US try to safeguard “integrity” at the ballot box.
Chris Young, who heads up the American security software giant, said there was a growing trend of attacks targeting “major events” like this year’s Winter Olympics in South Korea. He predicted the next focus would be the US mid-term elections. “We’re now at a point where you could almost be certain than any notable event will have a corresponding set of cyber attacks with it,” he said.
“Election protection is going to be ... bigger, not just in the US, but certainly in the UK, Germany and France. In any developed country there is much more heightened awareness.”
Russia has been accused of interfering in the Brexit referendum through social media, with Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson saying there was “abundant evidence” of Moscow meddling in elections.