A joint government warning says election officials, candidates, campaign staff, and political organizations may receive realistic emails, texts, audio, or video meant to steal information or install malware.
In 60 seconds
- Election officials, candidates, campaign staff, and political organizations should pay closest attention to this warning.
- Check unexpected messages for requests involving login details, sensitive information, links, or attachments.
- Confirm a questionable request through a trusted contact method found separately from the message.
- Do not trust a familiar name, voice, or video without checking the request another way.
Who should care and what to do today
This warning concerns election officials, candidates, campaign personnel, and political organizations during the 2026 United States midterm elections. CISA says these groups may attract attention because they can have access to voter registration data, information about current government officials, and sensitive campaign information.
General guidance: Review unexpected emails and text messages that ask for login details or other sensitive information, or that urge you to click a link or open an attachment. Confirm a questionable request through a phone number or other contact method you already trust. Find that contact information independently instead of using details supplied in the message.
Do not reply, click, open an attachment, or share information until the request has been checked. A familiar sender name or an urgent tone does not settle whether the message is genuine.
How a message can look real
CISA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or FBI, describe phishing and smishing campaigns. Phishing is a deceptive message meant to trick someone into sharing information or taking an unsafe action. Smishing is the same kind of deception sent by text message.
The agencies say these campaigns may closely resemble legitimate communications. They may use convincing email, text, audio, or video to manipulate recipients into disclosing login credentials or other sensitive information, or into interacting with malicious links and attachments.
That means a request should be checked based on the action it asks for, not just how it looks or sounds. Verify an unusual request through a separate trusted channel before acting.
What the warning reports—and what it does not
The CISA page says malicious messages may be used to steal login credentials and other sensitive information. It also says they may try to install malware on targeted devices. Malware is unwanted or harmful software that an attacker may try to put on a device.
The warning does not report a breach of a particular election office, campaign, or political organization. It describes techniques that election and campaign officials may face and urges election officials, campaign personnel, and the public to review the public service announcement and follow the recommended cybersecurity practices.
The source scope is a warning about possible targeting during the 2026 United States midterm elections. It does not identify a particular message, victim, campaign, or election office as compromised. General guidance: Review the full CISA and FBI announcement for the agencies’ recommendations.
Does this affect me?
- Who may be affected
- Election officials, candidates, campaign personnel, and political organizations should pay closest attention. The alert concerns organizations operating in those roles during the 2026 United States midterm elections.
- How to check
- Review unexpected emails and texts for requests involving login details, sensitive information, links, or attachments. Check whether the request fits the sender and the current work.
- What to do
- Confirm one questionable request through a trusted phone number or other contact method found independently of the message.
- What to avoid
- Do not open unexpected links or attachments, reply with sensitive information, or trust a message solely because its name, voice, video, or writing looks genuine.
Common questions
What is the difference between phishing and smishing?
Phishing is a deceptive message sent to trick someone into sharing information or taking an unsafe action. Smishing is the same type of deception delivered by text message.
Does this warning mean an election office or campaign has already been hacked?
No. The CISA page describes threats and techniques that election and campaign officials may face. It does not announce a breach of a particular office, campaign, or political organization.
What should I do if a request appears to come from a campaign or election office?
Pause before clicking or replying. Confirm the request through a trusted contact method you find separately, rather than using a phone number, link, or address included in the message.
Can a realistic voice or video prove that a request is genuine?
No. CISA and the FBI warn that convincing audio and video may be used along with email and text messages. Verify the request through a separate trusted channel before acting.
Primary source
This article is based on CISA’s October 16, 2026, public service announcement, “Cyber Threat Actors Use a Variety of Techniques to Target Election and Campaign Officials,” issued with the Federal Bureau of Investigation: https://www.cisa.gov/resources-tools/resources/cyber-threat-actors-use-variety-techniques-target-election-and-campaign-officials. The CISA page summarizes the warning and directs readers to the full announcement for the agencies’ recommendations. Read the complete original source.
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Article history: Published Oct 16, 2026 at 12:12 pm EDT. Updates and corrections are noted here when material facts change.
