Letter to Elaine Duke, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security - Ensure Election Systems are Free of Kaspersky Software

Letter

Dear Acting Secretary Duke:

I write to follow up on my September 13 letter urging the Department of Homeland Security to protect federal cyber networks against Kaspersky Lab software and to request that you work with state election officials to ensure their systems are also secure.

Reports released this week indicate the Russian government allegedly used Kaspersky antivirus software to search millions of computers around the world in order to steal highly sensitive U.S. government information, including the code names of American intelligence programs and documents from National Security Agency employees. As we continue to receive reports that the Kremlin may have accessed classified national security information through Kaspersky Lab software, it is imperative that we take all necessary steps to prevent future cyberattacks.

The Department's recent decision requiring all federal agencies to remove Kaspersky software from government computers is an important first step towards addressing the potential vulnerabilities our networks face. Now, we must also ensure that state and local government officials are aware of these threats and have the guidance and resources needed to remove Kaspersky software from their networks. This is especially necessary where officials maintain cyber networks related to critical infrastructure, like our election systems.

Intelligence reports are clear that Russia used covert cyberattacks, espionage, and harmful propaganda to try to undermine our democracy and hurt U.S. businesses. In addition to hacking presidential campaign accounts from both parties, Russia launched cyberattacks against at least 21 state election systems, attacked a U.S. voting systems software company, and illegally obtained the emails of more than 100 local election officials.

Given recent revelations regarding how Russia used Kaspersky software to breach our systems, it is important to prioritize state critical infrastructure systems in conjunction with efforts currently underway at the federal level.

The potential threat posed to our election infrastructure by the use of Kaspersky software appears to be significant and it is essential to ensure that future elections are safeguarded from foreign interference.

As Ranking Member of the Senate Rules Committee with jurisdiction over federal elections, I respectfully request a timely response detailing the Department's efforts to work with state officials to ensure our election systems are not operating with Kaspersky software.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this request.

Sincerely,

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