Two former administration officials with knowledge of the request described the directive as a departure from typical cybersecurity protocols. The officials indicated that the desire to keep vulnerabilities hidden from the manufacturer while briefing the executive branch was an unusual move for the agency's security division.
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
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Trump DHS Appointees Requested Secret Hack of Voting Machines
Cybersecurity1 day ago
Agency personnel at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) feared they were being forced into political interference last month following an irregular request from their superiors. Political appointees at the Department of Homeland Security during President Donald Trump's second term directed CISA to secretly acquire and breach a voting machine, provided that findings were reported only to the White House. The order specifically forbade notifying the equipment vendor of any discovered flaws, which violated established agency policy, though ProPublica reports the request was not acted upon.
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