Why a surge of election-related websites could spell rising cyber threats for the midterms

By — Liz Landers Liz Landers Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/why-a-surge-of-election-related-websites-could-spell-rising-cyber-threats-for-the-midterms Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Why a surge of election-related websites could spell rising cyber threats for the midterms Politics Jun 1, 2026 5:55 AM EDT A new report, first reported by PBS News, warns that November's midterm elections in the United States will drive "elevated" cyber threats to political organizations, fundraising and media platforms, and that some of the groundwork for election misinformation and disinformation likely is already being laid. Check Point, a cyber security company, found that in January of this year, approximately 1,300 newly registered domains contained the keyword "election," and approximately 2,957 contained "vote." Registering website domains does not establish malicious activity alone, the report notes, but the websites do "increase the pool of domains that may later be used for phishing, impersonation, fraudulent donation activity, or the distribution of misinformation." In an even sharper increase in website registrations, for the month between April 13 and May 14, Check Point Exposure Management found that approximately 1,140 newly registered domains contained "election," while approximately 4,010 contained "vote". "Seeing that these websites are continuing to grow is of significant concern, on top of what's already a concerning status quo," said Kathy Boockvar of Athena Strategies, who served as secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from 2019 to 2021. She said the Check Point report is "consistent with what we've heard from federal agencies and other private sector entities that are tracking threats." READ: Americans are increasingly worried about voting, poll shows At the same time, independent election experts warn that there is a balance between educating the public on potential election risks and sowing distrust. Boockvar worries that the report may fuel fear for voters, but also says that the emergence and growing prevalence of mis- and disinformation around elections in the last five years is a huge concern. Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Reed told PBS News that the finding on domain registration was "certainly something to watch." Reed reiterated that it may not be nefarious activity, but it reinforces the idea that, when it comes to fishy-looking websites, "if you're suspicious, verify it." What the report found The more than 30-page report reveals that the most likely types of threats to the upcoming elections are "phishing, impersonation, influence activity, AI-enabled content abuse, and opportunistic disruption." Check Point research from earlier this year found that a staggering 82% of malicious file attacks come through email phishing attempts, highlighting the need for election-related organizations, both inside and outside government, to g