US midterms given cyber guards

They were prepared to assist state election officials in the event of a cyber security incident during the elections.. Washington was the first state to activate its National Guard cyber units over the summer, using the National Guard’s experts in cyber security to test the election systems and train election officials. These units can also be used to carry out assessments of state public utilities or military defence systems.

In May 2018, legislation was introduced by senators Maria Cantwell, Washington, and Joe Manchin, West Virginia, to expand the role of the National Guard in defence against cyber attacks to areas ranging from election systems to dams. Significantly, if tased, this legislation would apply to every state and territory, with “cyber civil support teams” set up by the National Guard. Currently, not every state has a cyber security team.