How the UK general election could be hacked

It is entirely possible that the UK general election could be hacked and any attempts to influence the outcome are more likely to come from attackers within Britain itself, according to cyber experts.

Speaking to SCMagazineUK.com, a spokesman for security and data protection solutions provider Barracuda Networks said the election could be swayed by attackers defacing websites or attacking email systems and publishing stolen data. Direct anti-campaigning and the creation of fake news also have the ability to skew the outcome.

Ilia Kolochenko, chief executive of Geneva-based web security company High-Tech Bridge, believes that the more sophisticated attacks could involve mass usage of hacked social media accounts to post fakes from influential accounts or infiltrating well-known media and governmental websites to spread dubious gossip.

Hacking the voting process itself though would involve much more effort and bodies, the experts added. Tampering with the electoral register to create ‘ghost voters’ would require actual people to physically visit a polling station.

As a result, it's not likely this could be done in such a way as to influence the outcome, concludes John Bambenek, manager of threat systems at Hampshire-based Fidelis Cybersecurity.