States Game Election Cyber Threats in Homeland Security Drills

• Simulations test private and public responses to hacking • Colorado, Texas election officials participating in drills

The Department of Homeland Security is giving states, including Colorado and Texas, a chance to game out how they might respond to a cyberattack on election systems ahead of this year’s midterm vote.

The department is scheduled to begin its biennial “Cyber Storm” exercises on Tuesday, working with more than 1,000 “players” across the country, from state governments to manufacturers, to test how they would withstand a large-scale, coordinated cyberattack aimed at the U.S.’s critical infrastructure such as transportation systems and communications.

The ...