Protected Voices: Campaign Officials and Staff Resources

The FBI, in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), has released a number of short videos on critical cybersecurity and foreign influence topics. The below videos include information on foreign influence tactics, as well as tips and best practices on how to protect your digital devices, social media accounts, and private information from cyberattacks.  

We also encourage U.S. citizens working in critical infrastructure sectors to join InfraGard, an FBI-sponsored public-private partnership that offers the latest intelligence bulletins on cyber and other threats.

Learn more about the Protected Voices initiative.

Report Suspicious Activity 

Election officials or campaign staff should report suspicious activity to their local FBI field office Election Crimes Coordinator team. 

Videos 

FBI Director Discusses Protected Voices Initiative

FBI Director Christopher Wray describes the FBI's Protected Voices initiative, which aims to help political campaigns, private companies, and individuals protect themselves from foreign actors who want to hijack their message.

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Protected Voices: Business Email Compromise

The FBI’s Protected Voices initiative provides cybersecurity recommendations to political campaigns on multiple topics, including business email compromise, to help mitigate the risk of cyber influence operations targeting U.S. elections.

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Protected Voices: Cloud-Based Services

The FBI’s Protected Voices initiative provides cybersecurity recommendations to political campaigns on multiple topics, including cloud-based services, to help mitigate the risk of cyber influence operations targeting U.S. elections.

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Protected Voices: Foreign Influence

The FBI’s Protected Voices initiative provides cybersecurity recommendations to political campaigns on multiple topics, including foreign influence, to help mitigate the risk of cyber influence operations targeting U.S. elections.

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Protected Voices: Passphrases and Multi-Factor Authentication

The FBI’s Protected Voices initiative provides cybersecurity recommendations to political campaigns on multiple topics, including passphrases and multi-factor authentication, to help mitigate the risk of cyber influence operations targeting U.S. elections.

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Protected Voices: Ransomware

The FBI’s Protected Voices initiative provides cybersecurity recommendations to political campaigns on multiple topics, including ransomware, to help mitigate the risk of cyber influence operations targeting U.S. elections.

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Protected Voices: Router Hardening

The FBI’s Protected Voices initiative provides cybersecurity recommendations to political campaigns on multiple topics, including router hardening, to help mitigate the risk of cyber influence operations targeting U.S. elections.

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Protected Voices: Social Media Literacy

The FBI’s Protected Voices initiative provides cybersecurity recommendations to political campaigns on multiple topics, including social media literacy, to help mitigate the risk of cyber influence operations targeting U.S. elections.

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Protected Voices: Supply Chain

The FBI’s Protected Voices initiative provides cybersecurity recommendations to political campaigns on multiple topics, including supply chain, to help mitigate the risk of cyber influence operations targeting U.S. elections.

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View all Protected Voices videos and additional resources.

Frequently Asked Questions 

How much money should campaigns budget for cybersecurity? 

The investment required for cybersecurity will vary based on the needs and size of each campaign. 

Who do I contact if I believe I am a victim of a cyberattack or intrusion or other criminal or malign foreign influence activity?

State and local election officials should report suspicious activity to their local FBI field office.

Will the FBI contact me if they think I have been a victim of a cyberattack or intrusion or other criminal or malign foreign influence activity?  

When a victim is identified, we refer to our victim notification process and conduct an assessment in accordance with the Attorney General's Guidelines for Domestic FBI Operations. Notification is made directly to the "individual, organization, or corporation that is the owner/operator of the computer at the point of the compromise or intrusion."

What should I do if I am mailed digital media? Is it safe to put the media in our computers?

The source of the digital media should be considered when determining authenticity or risk. All digital media, even from trusted sources, should be reviewed for possible malware or viruses.

The FBI recommends conducting a review and vulnerability check of the media on a computer not attached to your network. This standalone computer will allow you to review the content without exposing your computer network to unnecessary risk.

Be mindful of not exposing your network by transferring and using digital media between the standalone machine and networked computers. Much like how you should not open links or attachments in emails from senders you do not recognize, you should never insert digital media into a networked computer before checking it for malicious software. 

Where can I learn more? 

You can join InfraGard, a partnership between the FBI and members of the private sector. The InfraGard program provides a vehicle for seamless public-private collaboration with government that expedites the timely exchange of information and promotes mutual learning opportunities relevant to the protection of critical infrastructure. To join, visit infragard.org.