Communications of the ACM
The Dynamics of Counting and Recounting Votes
IEEE Security and Privacy
Proceedings of the Seventh Annual Workshop on Cyber Security and Information Intelligence Research
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Insider attacks are particularly insidious threats to electoral integrity. Traitors that misuse the trust that is placed in them often have system access that facilitates malicious acts themselves and their subsequent cover-up efforts. In this paper, we define what it means to be an insider and we identify several classes of elections insiders. We also categorize the threats that each insider class has relative to the electoral functions. Beyond specifying well-known elections insiders such as poll workers and local elections officials, we address several insider categories that are rarely, or never, mentioned in considering election insider threats. For example, we have not previously seen members of the judiciary identified as prospective elections insiders and we give a concrete example of how judges can accomplish insider attacks on elections. Similarly, we identify the impact that policy makers can have on the electoral process and show how malicious legislators may be able to influence a broad spectrum of elections through the laws that they propose and promote. Insider attacks are real and imminent threats to electoral integrity. By identifying insiders and categorizing the threats that they pose allows us to create policies and procedures that better ensure sound elections and to ensure the integrity of our way of government at local, state, and federal levels.