Dark web election posts up almost 400 percent
The number of new posts on dark web forums about elections surged by 394 percent in 2023 compared to 2022, research released this week by cybersecurity firm NordVPN reveals. And in the first two months of 2024 alone, users have already published almost half as many posts.
With more than 60 countries holding national elections in 2024, representing over half of the world's population, this is a significant year in history for global democracy so it's unsurprising that there's an increase in interest.
However, cybercriminals are not the only players in the game. Sometimes, governments leverage their authority to manipulate the electorate by imposing various internet restrictions on citizens or even implementing complete shutdowns during the most sensitive periods.
"Whenever a government announces an increase in surveillance, internet restrictions, or other types of constraints, people turn to privacy tools, such as VPNs. For example, in 2024, when Pakistan imposed internet restrictions, including shutting down the X social media platform, VPN demand in Pakistan quadrupled in a week," says Laura Tyrylyte, head of PR at Nord Security.
See also:
- The cyber threats to 2024's elections
- Safeguards for using Artificial Intelligence in election administration
- Social media security issues pose threat to election campaigns
What's different this time is that AI can play a massive part in disinformation campaigns -- creating deceitful but convincing narratives has never been so easy and quick to achieve.
Hackers' ambitions don't stop there either, they might access and sell voters' information on the dark web or leak voter records. They can sell access to election systems or breach the entire voter roll. They can also disrupt the software that powers the elections, including the machines that count votes.
Governments imposing internet restrictions around elections is a growing trend. According to the #KeepItOn coalition, 24 countries conducting national elections this year have imposed shutdowns in the past.
There are strategies that citizens can adopt to counter these threats, such as using proxy servers, VPNs, secure browsers, private DNS servers and encrypted messaging apps. There's more information on NordVPN's social responsibility page.
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