Cybersecurity authorities and specialists report that the U.S. presidential election concluded on Tuesday without experiencing any substantial or disruptive cyberattacks.

While Election Day presented some challenges, they were generally manageable. Certain voting machines in Nevada and Texas experienced temporary outages but were swiftly restored to operation. In Georgia and Ohio, some voters were required to utilize paper ballots due to hand sanitizer compromising the machines. Additionally, the FBI acknowledged awareness of automated phone calls encouraging individuals in key states to refrain from voting. Delays within the postal service, coupled with regulations preventing ballot tabulation until Election Day, resulted in a backlog of votes remaining to be tallied well after polling places closed.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), a division of the Department of Homeland Security responsible for safeguarding U.S. elections, indicated that Election Day proceeded without major incident.

A leading CISA representative stated during a briefing with journalists on Tuesday that the day’s events were typical for internet activity. However, the official also cautioned that the situation remained fluid, particularly concerning the final vote counts in several states where the outcomes were exceptionally close.

In a statement released on Wednesday following the closure of polls, CISA Director Christopher Krebs affirmed that there was no indication of any foreign entity possessing the capability to prevent citizens from voting or to alter vote totals.

Data released by Cloudflare indicated a minor increase in cyberattacks targeting government election websites on Election Day. However, Chief Executive Matthew Prince communicated via Twitter that this increase was “relatively small” and the attacks were “unsophisticated” in nature.

In a post-election email to TechCrunch, Prince explained: “As expected, both internet traffic and attack traffic to election websites experienced peaks at various points on election day. While we do not have complete visibility, there have been no reports of cyberattacks that compromised the integrity of election websites or infrastructure.”

This contrasts sharply with the 2016 election, which was marked by a widespread campaign of disinformation orchestrated by actors linked to Russia, flooding social media platforms with inaccurate information and engaging in “hack-and-leak” tactics, including the release of documents and emails from Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee. In response, the government invested heavily in preparedness measures leading up to the 2018 midterm elections, where no evidence of vote hacking or manipulation was found, and established CISA to enhance election security and infrastructure nationwide.

General Paul Nakasone, Director of the National Security Agency and head of the military’s Cyber Command, stated that the government “will maintain constant vigilance” and is prepared to assist Homeland Security and the FBI in “providing information to social media platforms to counter influence operations.”

“Foreign adversaries continue to seek opportunities to undermine our nation’s elections,” Nakasone said. “However, we possess the capabilities, resources, and determination to prevent any form of interference or influence in our elections. I am confident that the actions we have taken against adversaries in recent weeks and months have deterred them from interfering in our elections. We are prepared to disrupt any nation state or actor who attempts to interfere in our democratic processes.”

A definitive winner was not immediately apparent, and it was broadly expected that vote counting would continue throughout the week, particularly in the pivotal states of Pennsylvania and North Carolina, which were still processing postal ballots. Consequently, attention and resources are focused on combating the dissemination of misinformation, including unsubstantiated claims of a presidential victory.

Social media networks have taken a leading role in efforts to filter misinformation. Facebook and Twitter faced criticism for their perceived failure to adequately address the spread of false and misleading information on their platforms during the 2016 election.

However, the social networks assert they are better equipped this time around.

President Trump’s initial tweet on Wednesday was flagged by Twitter after the incumbent Republican presidential candidate alleged that Democrats were “trying to steal” the election by challenging efforts by the Trump campaign to halt ballot counting after Election Day. Certain states, such as Michigan and Pennsylvania, were prohibited from commencing ballot counting until Election Day itself. As anticipated, given the pandemic-related surge in mail-in voting and increased voter participation, the final results are anticipated to take some time to finalize.

In anticipation of a lack of an immediate winner, Twitter implemented new policies in September to remove or label any claims of an election victory before official results are announced.

Facebook and Instagram have also issued notifications to voters informing them that results may be delayed and that a winner has “not been projected yet,” in an effort to address unconfirmed claims of a final outcome.