Press Release
from Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
Debora Plunkett, the former Director of Information Assurance at the National Security Agency (NSA), walks viewers through five key steps campaign staff can take to better secure their campaigns.
Cambridge, MA – Today, the Defending Digital Democracy Project (D3P) at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs released “Five Things,” a three-minute training video that gives campaign staff at all levels practical advice on what they can do to protect themselves from cyber intrusions.
The video is free and available for all campaigns at the top of this page and on the Belfer Center’s YouTube channel.
“For political campaigns, cyber security is an especially tough challenge,” said Belfer Center Co-Director Eric Rosenbach. “They face sophisticated and determined nation states, but don't have the resources and personnel to fortify themselves. That’s why we’re committed to providing campaigns in both parties with practical tools and advice to keep adversaries out.”
On Friday, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told Americans that “the warning lights are blinking red again” about another major attack on U.S. digital infrastructure and that “we are just one click of the keyboard away" from another attack on our election.
“We need a culture change,” Rosenbach said. “Every staffer has to understand that their own choices and behaviors will affect the security of the campaign. Along with the Cybersecurity Campaign Playbook we released last year, managers can use this video as a tool to create awareness among their staff and help fortify their systems."
D3P was created to provide campaigns and election officials with practical tools to protect themselves from cyberattacks. Over the past year, the D3P team has released a series of playbooks and conducted several rounds of training to help campaigns and state and local election officials better defend democracy from attack.
Contact: Sharon Wilke, Associate Director of Communications – 617-495-9858; Sharon_Wilke@hks.harvard.edu.