We are cybersecurity experts Tim Starks (POLITICO reporter) and Peter Singer (cyber warfare expert). We’re one week out from the 2018 midterms – ask us anything about election security. • r/IAmA

U.S. elections are still extremely vulnerable two years after Russians allegedly hacked the DNC and the emails of a top Hillary Clinton campaign official. So far in this year’s midterm season, we’ve seen successful cyberattacks on a Tennessee county election website, three California Democrats and multiple senators’ offices. And those are just the ones we know about.

Here’s one example of what’s at risk: Ethical hackers at a security conference this year determined they could break into a vote tabulator with a pen to take control of it, that same machine had a decade-old vulnerability, and researchers say tampering with it could swing the outcome of an election because it’s used to count votes on the county level.

What’s more, social media has become a highly valuable tool for foreign governments trying to influence U.S. elections. Just this month, the Justice Department unsealed charges against a Russian woman for trying to interfere in the midterms via a social media campaign – a campaign that the indictment showed demonstrated striking similarities to the 2016 manipulation.

We’re now one week away from the 2018 midterms. Ask us anything about election security – we’ll start answering questions at noon ET.

(Proof)

About us:

Tim Starks, a POLITICO journalist, has been reporting on cybersecurity since 2003. He was part of a reporting team that recently surveyed all 50 states on how they planned to spend a chunk of $380 million in federal funds to hire cybersecurity experts – and found that any of them don’t know what they’ll do when the money runs out. Naturally, since 2016 a lot of his focus has been on election security.

Peter Singer, a cyber warfare expert, is currently a strategist at New America. His latest book, “LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media,” explores how social media has changed war and politics, and war and politics has changed social media.