From breach to resilience: How the Electoral Commission rebuilt its cyber defences | Computer Weekly

"When most people think of critical national infrastructure (CNI), they tend to picture energy grids, transport networks, or hospitals. But the UK's electoral system belongs firmly in that category too. It underpins our democracy, so protecting it from those who seek to disrupt our elections is an essential task. And the threat is real. Around the world, electoral systems have faced a sharp rise in cyber-attacks in recent years."

"The UK experienced this first-hand in October 2022 when the Electoral Commission discovered its systems had been accessed in a sophisticated breach. While the attack did not affect the security of our elections, it exposed a number of vulnerabilities in the Commission's systems and reminded us, and the wider IT community, how underinvestment can leave public bodies exposed. Like many intrusions, the breach went undetected for longer than it should have."

The UK's electoral system is classified as critical national infrastructure and faces a growing cyber threat. Electoral systems globally have seen a sharp rise in cyber-attacks. In October 2022 the Electoral Commission discovered a sophisticated breach that accessed its systems and revealed multiple vulnerabilities linked to underinvestment. The breach did not affect election security but went undetected for longer than it should have because protections were insufficient. The Commission worked with the National Cyber Security Centre to remove compromised systems, clean the network, and rebuild security infrastructure as part of a long-term resilience programme.

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