The Cybersecurity Campaign Playbook
Bottom Line: Robby Mook, Hillary Clinton’s 2016 Campaign Manager, and Matt Rhoades, Mitt Romney’s 2012 Campaign Manager, explain simple and actionable steps campaigns can take to reduce their risk of being hacked.
The Trump election reinforced the importance of defending political campaigns from hacking, which can disrupt a campaign on many levels.
Taking a few steps can make it much more difficult for hackers to do harm. These include using secure, cloud-based storage, two-factor verification, strong passwords, and need-to-know access restrictions. If possible, campaigns should consider contracting with a cybersecurity firm.
A few other steps are also advisable: Avoid public Wi-Fi where possible; set up firewalls; block access to suspicious sites; and don’t connect devise to unknown ports.
Staff should be trained in these deterrents and face-to-face meetings should be prioritized. Campaigns should consider using programs that monitor staff device activity for threats.
Campaigns should retain a lawyer pro-bono for advice if the campaign is a victim of an attack. It should also have a predetermined response team armed with talking points.
Read the full report here.
How Political Campaigns Can Prevent from Being Hacked
Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney’s campaign managers explain steps to prevent campaign infiltration
Findings:
- Hillary Clinton’s hacked campaign reinforces the importance of defending political campaigns from hacking, which can disrupt campaigns on many levels.
- Taking a few simple precautions such as two-factor authentication, creating strong passwords, and using the cloud, offer significant protection.
- Additional steps such as monitoring staff devices may also be warranted and offer even greater protection.
