Election offices should establish a vulnerability disclosure program (VDP) before inviting security researchers to test election-related systems. A useful program defines which systems are in scope, sets written rules for permitted testing, names a monitored point of contact, and gives staff the capacity to assess reports, address valid weaknesses, and keep reporters informed. CISA’s Guide to Vulnerability Reporting for America’s Election Administrators identifies these as core program elements.
What an election-office vulnerability disclosure program does
A VDP gives researchers a clear, authorized route to report a security weakness and tells them what testing the election office permits. It also gives the office a defined way to receive, assess, and address reports. A published reporting channel is not permission to test every system connected to an election: authorization must be limited to systems the office controls or is authorized to include.
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Building a program takes coordination. Election leadership, IT and security staff, operations teams, legal counsel, vendors, and state partners may all need to agree on system ownership, testing boundaries, sensitive-data handling, and who can approve remediation.
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Define scope and testing rules before soliciting reports
Identify the systems covered
List the websites, services, software, and other systems researchers may test. State what is excluded, and do not imply authority over vendor-operated or partner-owned systems without authorization. For shared systems, coordinate with the relevant vendor or state partner before publishing the scope.
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Explain what testing is permitted
Put the nature of permissible testing in writing and describe prohibited or disruptive activity. CISA calls for written testing rules; the precise technical boundaries should be reviewed by the jurisdiction’s security and legal staff. Make clear how researchers should avoid exposing voter or election data, disrupting operations, or accessing information they do not need to demonstrate a finding.
Give researchers a monitored contact
Name a reporting point of contact and provide a reporting address or form that a responsible person actually monitors. Decide in advance how reports will be triaged, escalated, coordinated with system owners, and communicated back to researchers. CISA’s guide calls for resources to vet and fix reports while keeping reporters informed; it does not set a universal response-time promise.
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Prepare the office to handle a report
Before inviting submissions, ensure the office can receive a report safely and follow through. A practical process can be organized as follows:
- Acknowledge and preserve. Confirm receipt and retain the report in a controlled location so staff can assess it without unnecessarily forwarding sensitive details.
- Assess risk and election impact. Determine which in-scope system is involved, whether the issue may affect election operations or data, and whether it suggests an active compromise.
- Validate within authorization. Reproduce or investigate the issue only within the published scope and permitted testing rules. Do not expand testing onto systems the office does not control.
- Coordinate action. Bring in the relevant system owner, vendor, state partner, security staff, and counsel as appropriate; decide on mitigation or remediation.
- Update the reporter. Communicate what can safely be shared about assessment and resolution. Do not promise anonymity, immunity, rewards, or a fixed resolution deadline unless the jurisdiction has approved those terms.
Do not ask researchers to send voter records, credentials, or disruptive exploit material through ordinary email. Establish a secure handling route with security staff and counsel, and include it in the reporting instructions.
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Route vulnerabilities differently from cyber incidents
A vulnerability report describes a weakness, often found through authorized disclosure. A cyber incident report concerns suspected or actual malicious activity or operational impact. A VDP should not replace the election office’s incident response plan: a report indicating active compromise or disruption should be escalated through that plan and the jurisdiction’s appropriate reporting channels.
CISA’s incident-reporting guidance for the 2024 general election cycle listed CISA, the FBI, and EI-ISAC as reporting or assistance channels for election infrastructure stakeholders. That document is specific to the 2024 cycle, and its contact routes may no longer be current. Check current official contact information and state and local reporting obligations before using any number, email address, or portal from it. CISA’s 2024 General Election Cycle: Voluntary Incident Reporting Guidance also describes CISA assistance with incident response and recovery and information sharing with EI-ISAC.
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Use government resources to support capacity
CISA election toolkit and scanning
CISA’s Cybersecurity Toolkit and Resources to Protect Elections describes resources for election officials and vendors, including CISA Cyber Hygiene Services vulnerability scanning. It also describes MS-ISAC services as no-cost for eligible state, local, tribal, and territorial government organizations. Confirm current availability and eligibility directly. CISA says the toolkit is not comprehensive and does not establish that every listed resource suits every use case.
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The Election Risk Profile Tool, developed through CISA’s National Risk Management Center and released with the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), is intended to help state and local officials understand risks, prioritize mitigation, and coordinate with partners.
Training and ransomware guidance
CISA says election security training for election infrastructure stakeholders is offered at no cost; confirm current offerings. CISA’s #StopRansomware Guide recommends regular vulnerability scanning, especially on internet-facing devices, and discusses reporting or assistance routes including CISA, FBI, IC3, or local U.S. authorities. Use current official guidance and the jurisdiction’s incident plan for operational instructions.
Understand which federal rules apply
CISA’s Binding Operational Directive 20-01 concerns vulnerability disclosure policies for federal civilian executive branch agencies. It is useful background on formal VDPs, but it does not impose that federal-agency mandate on state or local election offices. CISA’s directive announcement quotes then-CISA Assistant Director for Cybersecurity Bryan Ware on September 2, 2020: “Cybersecurity is strongest when the public is given the ability to contribute, and a key component to receiving cybersecurity help from the public is to establish a formal policy that describes how to find and report vulnerabilities legally.” The quotation reflects a 2020 statement, not an endorsement of any particular election office program.
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