DHS Mulls Designating US Election System As Critical Infrastructure

US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson said the agency is "thinking about" bringing the country’s election system under its purview to guard it against cyberattacks, according to Federal News Radio. His comments came in the wake of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) breach.

“There is a vital national interest in our election process, so I do think we need to consider whether it should be considered by my department and others as critical infrastructure,” Johnson said.

He added he would communicate with election officials across the country about the best practices required and longer term investments needed for cybersecurity.

Meanwhile, DHS deputy chief Alejandro Mayorkas said that under the new presidential policy directive, the FBI would share DNC hack probe findings with the DHS and then draft a response plan by next month.

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