5 Ways Election Interference Could (And Probably Will) Worsen In 2018 And Beyond

If you thought 2016 was bad, just wait for the sequel.

Russian election interference seeped into nearly every aspect of the political landscape two years ago, but many experts are wondering whether upcoming U.S. elections could be worse.

"If we do nothing, if we let the mechanics of voting continue to deteriorate, then I am 100 percent sure that we are going to be attacked again in the fullness of time," said J. Alex Halderman, a professor of computer science at the University of Michigan. "And it's going to make 2016 look quaint by comparison."

Forty-three states used computer voting machines that were at least 10 years old in 2016, Halderman said. Russian cyberattacks or other activities were detected in at least different 21 states, in what were generally considered hacks probing for vulnerabilities that could be exploited more later.

A potential worst case scenario this year or in 2020 could make that look like a picnic.

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