REDWOOD CITY, Calif., May 4, 2022 – Synack, the premier on-demand security platform for continuous penetration testing and vulnerability management, has partnered with Democracy Live, the largest provider of cloud and tablet-based balloting in the U.S., to conduct rigorous and continuous cybersecurity testing for its remote election technology.
This important relationship means that states and localities that deploy Democracy Live to expand access to all voters are relying on technology that has been independently and continuously examined for potential vulnerabilities by some of the most skilled cybersecurity researchers in the world.
The Synack Platform combines the skills of more than 1,500 elite cybersecurity researchers along with cutting-edge smart technology to help Fortune 500 businesses, government agencies as well as leading healthcare organizations protect their most critical assets.
The partnership with Democracy Live extends Synack’s work on election security that has also involved projects for Election Systems & Software, the largest maker of voting equipment in the U.S., as well as the State of Colorado and Tusk Philanthropies a nonprofit organization funding the development of new election technologies.
“We’re committed to making sure any technology that states or localities use for voting is as secure as possible. Our democracy depends on it. We need to make sure these systems are protected against attacks, and it’s imperative that we do everything we can to ensure the trust in the systems people use to cast their votes,” said Jay Kaplan, Synack’s CEO. “We also believe in Democracy Live’s mission of expanding the vote to as many people as possible. Democracy works best when as many people as possible participate.”
Deployed in over 2,000 elections, the Democracy Live “OmniBallot” platform is the most deployed, remote balloting solution in the U.S. OmniBallot is hosted in AWS, a federally approved cloud infrastructure. OmniBallot securely transmits ballots to voters who cannot vote on paper ballots, due to geography or disabilities.
“Our partnership with Synack is a powerful new paradigm in elections security. Through engaging Synack and their independent cybersecurity researchers who work 24/7, Democracy Live is taking every step possible to safeguard our elections technology,” said Bryan Finney, CEO of Democracy Live. “Our mission is to help ensure that all American citizens have equal access to a secure ballot. This includes voters who cannot see, hold, or mark a paper ballot, due to disabilities or geography. Through Synack, Democracy Live is adding an unparalleled level of security and testing, unmatched in the elections industry.”
More than 8,000 elections jurisdictions across all 50 states are required by law to transmit ballots electronically. More than half the states require that qualified, eligible voters can return their ballots electronically. Surprisingly, the majority of election jurisdictions still use fax machines, or email attachments to comply with the law.
The Synack/Democracy Live partnership was developed to ensure state and local elections officials have the latest and most secure option to replace fax machines and email to electronically transmit ballots.
