Democracy in Danger: How Hackers and Activists Exposed Fatal Flaws in the Election System

by Jake Braun

Overview

Protecting the Vote

When cybersecurity expert Jake Braun challenged hackers at DEFCON, the largest hacking conference in the world, to breach the security of an American voting machine, a hacker in Europe conquered the task in less than 2 minutes. From hacking into voting machines to more mundane, but no less serious problems, our democracy faces unprecedented tests from without and within. In Democracy In Danger, Braun, a veteran of 3 presidential campaigns and former White House Liaison to the Department of Homeland Security, reveals what the national security apparatus, local election administrators, and political parties have gotten wrong about election security and what America needs to do to protect the ballot box in 2020 and beyond.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538126622
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	09/15/2019
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	1,109,257
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Jake Braun is Executive Director of the University of Chicago Harris Cyber Policy Initiative, where he works at the center of politics, technology and national security to advance the field of cyber policy. He has more than 15 years of national security and cybersecurity expertise. Previously, he served in the Obama administration as White House Liaison to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He has appeared extensively on TV, radio, print, and online media, including CNN, NBC, CBS radio, NPR, CSPAN, USA Today, WIRED magazine, Wall Street Journal, the HBO documentary "Democracy Hacked," and many others. He teaches at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and resides in Chicago.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1. Table Setting: The Putin Problem 2. Clusterf*ck 3. Mandela-Level Turnout 4. Reset? 5. Same-Old-Same-Old or Something New? 6. Here Come the Hackers 7. “You Have to Sit on Those Boxes” 8. “We Have No Evidence”: DEF CON 9. “Child’s Play” 10. Cyber Politics Epilogue Notes Index About the Author

Editorial Reviews

Jake Braun has done a great service to the Nation with the publication of this book. There can be no doubt about the threat to our democracy from cyber space and the immediate need for us to get beyond politics to confront and defeat this threat. Jake’s journey of discovery and action sets the stage for the future. The book reflects my strong view on the need for immediate action.

Francis X Taylor

From the frontlines of democracy as a political operative to the Department of Homeland Security to academia – Jake Braun has thought about the intersection of cybersecurity and America from all angles, and weaves his personal vignettes into Democracy in Danger. At home and abroad, from Europe to Africa, cyberattacks on democratic infrastructure are occurring regularly and we must all think and act with greater urgency. Jake understands true stakes and the solutions.”

John F. Kerry

While much has been written about the role of Russian propaganda, Democracy in Danger focuses instead on Russia’s hacking of voting systems across the United States, erasing voters from voter registration databases and hacking the websites of several secretaries of state. Written as a first-person narrative but packed with information, the book uses Braun’s background and expertise to stress the importance of securing our voting systems.. .. Democracy in Danger is a harrowing account of just how unprepared states were, and remain, to stop election-crippling Russian hacks. It explains the problem in thorough and clear detail, with a call to action to protect the fundamentals of American democracy. This is a good and important work.

Foreword Reviews

Democracy in Danger reads like a spy thriller, but feels like a horror movie. In his brilliant book, Jake Braun relates, in details emerging from his front row seat, the too-slow recognition of the vulnerabilities of our election system well before 2016 and how a series of missteps, blinders, bureacracy and politics led to the events surrounding the 2016 election. But all is not lost. Braun shows us how stakeholders, election officials and even hackers are building a community with one, and only one, goal: to save our elections and therefore our democracy. An engaging, detailed and honest account, Democracy in Danger is an essential read for those who have the same mission.

Juliette Kayyem