This article was originally posted on defendcampaigns.org.
With less than 3 weeks to go before Election Day, it’s never too late to enhance the cybersecurity of your campaign. With DDC’s help, it can be done quickly and for free!
Here are some low lift things campaigns can still implement and how DDC can help:
- Using the strongest authentication possible. Google convened more than 40 campaign and cybersecurity experts seeking their most important cybersecurity advice for campaigns and the clear answer was secure accounts with multifactor (or two-factor) authentication DDC can help secure accounts with:
- Free Google Titan Security Keys. DDC eligible campaigns now get overnight shipping and our onboarding specialist can help you turn on Google’s Advanced Protection Program. Keys can also be used to secure social media accounts and your phone can be set up as a key!
- Free YubiKeys from Yubico (first 10 are free, then 50% discounts for more) are usable across the internet to secure accounts and with Microsoft products. Contact us for more information and onboarding assistance.
- LastPass password manager. Strong passwords are critical and password managers help create good password practices. DDC can help you get LastPass for free and onboarded on your campaign. This can be up and running within one day.
- Secure your website. Protecting your public-facing presence is critical as web traffic likely increases as the election nears. DDC can help you get Cloudflare for Campaigns up and running and protect your site from Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks and much more. Depending on current configurations, Cloudflare can be implemented in just a couple of hours. All you need to do is connect us with your web firm, and DDC and Cloudflare can take care of the rest.
- Secure your social media accounts. Social media is one of the most important channels campaigns use to communicate with supporters. They can also be a target for disruption by adversaries. Securing them and making sure you are using the social media companies’ tools to protect campaigns is easy and quick to implement. Contact us for information on securing your accounts, and read our blog on Securing You Social Media Accounts with Facebook Connect.
- Communicate privately and securely. Most campaigns we talk with are already using Wickr or Signal. Make sure staff know what is to be shared through those channels. If you are not using secure communications, DDC can help you onboard Wickr quickly (free for campaigns with less than 30 staff members).
- Be ready if anything goes wrong. If a cybersecurity incident should occur, you want to have done at least some planning. Read our recent blog Is Your Campaign Prepared for A Cyber Incident? for some basic questions you should be ready to answer if something happens.
- People are one of the best cybersecurity defenses. Consider a one-hour training from Foresight2020 to help staff use technology more securely. DDC can help organize.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency at DHS (CISA) held a summit Defending Democracy. Watch our panel featuring DDC, Google, and Microsoft on efforts to protect campaigns.
DDC is ready to help in any way we can. Contact us at info@defendcampaigns.org and get your campaign secured as quickly as possible.