US intelligence officials are expecting a barrage of cyber attacks during the forthcoming presidential election campaign, according to reports.
In a statement seen by Reuters, Brian Hale, a spokesman for the office of US National Intelligence Director James Clapper said that previous campaigns had probably been targeted in this way.
"We’re aware that campaigns and related organizations and individuals are targeted by actors with a variety of motivations - from philosophical differences to espionage - and capabilities - from defacements to intrusions,” he added.
His words were backed by Representative Adam Schiff, a Democrat who site on the House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
"Given the intense scrutiny paid to the 2016 campaign, and the broad implications for U.S. foreign policy, it’s no surprise that actors are launching cyber attacks against presidential campaigns,” Schiff apparently claimed in a statement.
The FBI and DHS are apparently working to educate officials on both campaigns to help them fortify their IT systems against attack.
Hillary Clinton famously broke security protocol by using her personal webmail account for official business when Secretary of State.
Tripwire CTO, Dwayne Melancon, argued that a presidential hopeful would be the perfect target for a hacktivist.
“Since this has now been opened up to the public, I would like to see the advisories become more specific and more actionable in the near future,” he added.
Meanwhile, the same firm’s director of security and IT risk strategy, Tim Erlin, claimed “politics and cyber security are inextricably linked these days.”
"When you have an outspoken candidate with a strong position, they necessarily garner extra attention, both good and bad, both in real life and online.
“The increase in cyber attacks will involve more than targeting the candidates and their campaigns directly,” he added. “The population in general should be on the lookout for attacks that leverage political candidates, but target the average consumer.”