America’s Defenses Are Being Tested By Cyberattacks and Electoral Dysfunction

By Josephine Wolff, Assistant Professor of Cybersecurity Policy, The Fletcher School

It could be months or years before the US government knows the full extent of last week’s sophisticated cyberattack that targeted private tech and security companies and federal agencies like the Energy Department and National Nuclear Security Administration.

President Trump dismissed the significance of the attack, tweeting that “everything was under control.” He refused to criticize Russia for the attack, claimed without evidence that it could be China, and contradicted Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s acknowledgment of Russian involvement. Yet, the President continues to fight the election results and has considered declaring martial law to overturn the election.

Also this hour: The FDA says it’s time to deregulate the ingredients in French dressing and frozen cherry pies.

GUESTS:

• Josephine Wolff is assistant professor of cybersecurity policy at The Fletcher School at Tufts University. She’s the author of, You’ll See This Message When It Is Too Late: The Legal and Economic Aftermath of Cybersecurity Breaches.
• Lawrence Douglas is the James J. Grosfeld Professor of Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought at Amherst College. He’s the author of seven books; his most recent is Will He Go? Trump and the Looming Electoral Meltdown in 2020
• Michael Levenson reports for The New York Times, Express Desk.

This piece was republished from Connecticut Public Radio.