The next is a transcript of an interview with Fort Myers, Florida, Mayor Kevin Anderson that aired on Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Welcome again to FACE THE NATION. We're joined now by the previous Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Safety Company, Chris Krebs. Good morning. Good to have you ever right here in particular person.
CBS NEWS CYBERSECURITY EXPERT AND ANALYST CHRISTOPHER KREBS: Morning.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I wish to ask you first about hurricane response, since you have been concerned again in 2017 with THE response to Hurricane Maria, which simply devastated Puerto Rico. What are the most important challenges you see proper now, each for that island and for this devastation in Florida?
KREBS: Properly, I feel the the primary situation is the devastation, as you talked about, what constructions what communities can really take energy, I feel typically, and talking with the ability restoration Process Forces, they've completed an excellent job of marshaling sources getting linemen and crews down into the areas that may really be restored. However as you heard from the mayor, and the administrator, there are areas that merely simply can not take energy proper now. And it is going to take time to guage, see in the event that they're condemned or in any other case. And so, however once more, the- , the ability groups have completed an excellent job in Florida. They usually've really, I feel, completed an excellent job in Puerto Rico as effectively after Fiona, whenever you're taking a look at, , 10 days after Fiona 90% of the ability is restored. In Maria, that took about seven months.
MARGARET BRENNAN: They usually're nonetheless in some ways on the restoration observe for Maria.
KREBS: Yeah, , I feel, over the previous couple of years, they've completed a greater job of administration, of funding, and of upkeep. However now they're at a place the place I feel they've to consider upgrading the system, there's nonetheless a reasonably antiquated, older system, and so they do should form of transfer ahead with that.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I wish to ask you about infrastructure past hurricane after all, we're, what, 36 days from the midterms. You might have massive displacement now, folks in Florida, is that going to have an effect on the power to hold out elections?
KREBS: There are plans in place and , we heard the senator discuss Hurricane Michael, from 2018, which Mexico Seashore was devastated. There are guidelines and methods in place that enable for some flexibility in how the elections are performed. And they'll be sure that those who wish to vote can vote. If I've seen something, it is election officers are pure disaster managers and actually good on the resilient aspect of it.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Properly, they should be proper now, given all of the stress is on them. Switching to the cyber entrance, so that you have been in workplace in the course of the midterms in 2018, and Cyber Command was fairly express that they went on the offense to guard our midterm races at the moment, taking out Russian operatives to discourage spreading disinformation. We all know they're watching what's taking place this 12 months. What does that appear to be? What's defending our election towards international interference appear to be?
KREBS: Properly, , as I take a look at the considerations across the 2022 midterm elections, I've three main areas of-of , focus. First, is the continued home efforts to undermine the method assault staff. The second is that this improve in insider danger. And as that every one form of manifests and political instability right here domestically, it provides lots of alternative and assault floor for the dangerous guys. We have seen during the last couple years, the international actors that's, we have seen the Iranians, we have seen the Russians, and even not too long ago, we have seen the Chinese language begin to take a few of the Russian plans, and it is nearly Russification of Chinese language Data Operations. So what I'd take a look at is extra, , plagiarizing home points, and driving wedges into the discourse right here within the U.S. in all probability not manufacturing, new narratives or something like that, however as a substitute actually hitting on the problems that we're already speaking about right here. And simply making them that rather more heated.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Meta took down a small Chinese language community attempting to affect elections, that is the Fb's sphere.
KREBS: Proper.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Is that the prime platform for disinformation?
KREBS: Properly, I feel they're utilizing a lot of totally different strategies. And that is the Chinese language we once more, it is nonetheless pretty rudimentary and remedial when it comes to the Chinese language affect operations. As soon as they get a bit of bit extra refined. I feel that is the place they'rethey're in all probability going to have a larger impression. However it's not simply on-line. It is not simply the social media platforms. They're really working on the native ranges to assist particular person candidates. And that is some reporting, I feel that will come out within the close to future, however it's the Chinese language have been very, very lively in a neighborhood corruption degree, the place the Russians are extra targeted on the high on, , the extra disrupting the election course of. buddy within the intelligence neighborhood has mentioned, Russia is the hurricane, China's local weather change within the sense of political interference.
MARGARET BRENNAN: the kind of sluggish creeping, developing on you.
KREBS: Yep.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I simply wish to come again, you mentioned insider danger to U.S. elections. What do you imply by that?
KREBS: Properly, it is really we're seeing precise election staff which were swept up within the continued efforts to delegitimize the 2020 election, and now they're on the within. They're posing a danger we have seen in Mesa County, Colorado, Espresso County, Georgia, Antrim County, Michigan, the place staff have allowed entry by unauthorized folks into the system in entry to gear. And even simply the opposite day within the primaries, we noticed that there was a employee that plugged the USB drive right into a machine, and now these methods are had been rendered or taken out of service. So we really, somewhat than simply the international interference threats that I feel we actually had to consider in '18, and '20. Now we have now precise insiders, we have now election staff which might be posing a danger to the method itself.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Properly that is terrifying. Why- it's- so a part of the steadiness for anybody who was in a task such as you had, how a lot do you publicize, how a lot do you draw consideration, and at what level does that undermine confidence somewhat than increase confidence in integrity?
KREBS: That is the problem.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Is the administration doing sufficient on what you simply laid out?
KREBS: Properly, sadly, I do not suppose that there are lots of instruments proper now accessible to counter each threats to election staff. And we proceed to see demise threats and underneath intimidation means towards election staff, however then election staff themselves which were, once more, swept up into the method. So the instruments aren't essentially there. We do want native legislation enforcement, I feel to get extra concerned in investigating threats, defending election staff themselves, guaranteeing that they don't seem to be being doxed, or their public data or their private contact data is being launched to allow them to get- in order that they get extra threats. So that is an space that I feel Congress wants take a tough take a look at, are the suitable deterrence measures in place from felony statutes. After which do we have now the investigation strategies? It's, , I personally have acquired a major variety of demise threats and other-other threats. And a few of them are available by means of anonymous- by means of nameless means like protonmail. We do want extra consideration on these threats. In any other case, we will see a scarcity of election staff.
MARGARET BRENNAN: That's fairly a warning. Chris, thanks for becoming a member of us.