Kevin Collier - What Role Can Journalists Play in Securing Elections

In this session at the DEF CON 27 Voting Village, veteran cybersecurity reporter Kevin Collier examines the role and responsibilities of journalism in covering election infrastructure security. He opens at 08:00 by discussing the fundamental challenge of communicating intricate technical security concepts clearly and responsibly to non-technical news consumers without sensationalizing risk or undermining voter faith in democratic institutions.

Kevin dissects media coverage trends at 16:00, analyzing the viral media frenzy surrounding youth participants hacking mock election results websites in the Voting Village, explaining how headlines conflated unofficial reporting displays with hardened tabulator machines. At 24:00, he explores investigative reporting into voting machine vendors, scrutinizing the use of cellular modems in optical scan tabulators and vulnerabilities in county election night reporting portals.

Reflecting on bipartisan security consensus at 32:00, Kevin discusses the widespread agreement among security researchers and election officials on the necessity of voter-verified paper ballots. At 40:00, he shares how journalists vet researcher credibility and verify technical claims before publishing. He closes at 48:00 with expectations for investigative press coverage leading up to the 2020 presidential election, focusing on regulatory accountability and supply chain security. (AI summary — Gemini Flash)