The WatchlistWatch 23
This is a Watchlist entry. It is a developing story reported by credible outlets that hasn't reached a court ruling, official finding or documented harm yet. It says what to watch for. If that happens, it moves to The Record.
DHS appointees reportedly sought a secret CISA hack of a voting machine
Developing means: Reported by credible outlets, but no ruling, official finding or documented harm yet.
An Oct. 19 ProPublica investigation reported that political appointees at the Department of Homeland Security asked the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to secretly obtain a voting machine, attempt to hack it and relay the findings to the White House, without informing the manufacturer of any vulnerabilities.
What happened
ProPublica attributed the request to two former administration officials familiar with it. Career CISA employees objected and repeatedly said the proposed operation was not possible, and the appointees stopped pressing the request. ProPublica reported no machine was acquired or hacked as a result of this request. Employees feared undisclosed vulnerabilities might later be used to question election results, but that concern is not evidence of a proven plan to alter votes.
Separately, Reuters documented broader Trump administration inquiries into claimed voting machine vulnerabilities and past elections, including efforts involving multiple federal agencies; Reuters did not independently confirm the specific CISA request described by ProPublica. The White House defended its election security approach; DHS and CISA did not respond to ProPublica questions about the request.
What to watch for
Watch for a congressional or inspector general investigation, an official finding or verified records establishing the request and its purpose, evidence that a machine was actually acquired or tested, or disclosure that voting system vulnerabilities were withheld from a manufacturer. An official finding of misconduct or documented resulting harm could warrant a Record exhibit; unsupported speculation about election manipulation would not.
The administration's side
The White House told ProPublica that the administration had done more than prior administrations to ensure free and fair elections and referred CISA questions to DHS. Testing voting systems for vulnerabilities can be legitimate security work; the reported secrecy and direction not to alert the vendor are what made the request controversial.
Sources
Permanent link: https://unredactedrecord.com/e/w-cisahack/