Cybercriminals Pose a Greater Threat of Disruptive US Election Hacks Than Russia or China

The Election Infrastructure ISAC and DHS reporting highlighted during the 2024 U.S. campaign season indicate that while Russian, Chinese, and Iranian state-backed actors conduct espionage and influence operations, financially and ideologically motivated cybercriminals—particularly ransomware and DDoS operators—pose a greater risk of disruptive attacks against state and local election infrastructure; DHS/ISAC statistics show most attack attempts are unsuccessful but a small percentage (~3%) have succeeded in gaining access or causing disruption, and the report stresses threat intelligence sharing and coordination to prevent and mitigate such impacts.