Here's how hackers could ruin your Election Day

Hackers have a plan of their own for Election Day.

(Image credit: iStock)

published 1 November 2016

A massive cyberattack in late October took down major websites across the United States. Now, some security experts are warning that another attack could be coming — and this time it might be aimed at keeping voters from the polls on Nov. 8.

Adam D'Angelo, the CEO of Quora and formerly the chief technology officer at Facebook, said that if there is a "rush attack" Tuesday morning, voters may not be able to find their precinct. "Everybody should do screenshots on your phone, or just memorize [the address]," D'Angelo told The Daily Beast. "People who are campaigning, knocking on doors, those people should be prepared."

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As for who might try to execute such an attack, D'Angelo said many have the motivation. "I definitely believe it's possible to affect the number of people who turn out to vote. There's a lot of data saying that when you make things a little bit harder, fewer people turn out," he said. And that makes it appealing to everyone from domestic hackers and pranksters to international agents to disrupt the vote.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.

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