Microsoft, CIS Forge Cloud-Based Election Security Monitoring Partnership

Microsoft has teamed up with the nonprofit organization Center for Internet Security to help improve election security and enable election officials to leverage cloud capabilities.

Microsoft has made its Azure cloud platform compatible with CIS’ Albert Network Monitoring tool through the partnership, Ethan Chumley, senior security strategist for the Defending Democracy Program at Microsoft, wrote in a blog post published Monday.

Albert uses sensors to track the security of election-related data by assessing internet traffic, connection attempts and other cyber threats to voter information portals, voter registration systems and back-office networks run by election officials.

Microsoft and CIS will kick off this week a pilot to test the capability with 14 county supervisors of elections in Florida.  

“In the coming months, we look forward to sharing more details about our work to help secure the 2020 elections and future elections in the U.S. and around the world,” Chumley wrote.