Report finds DNC lagging behind RNC on cybersecurity

The Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) cybersecurity practices continue to “lag behind” those of its Republican counterpart despite investments the group has made since the 2016 presidential election, according to a new report.

“In aggregate, the DNC security scores lag behind the RNC in almost all categories,” reads the report released Tuesday by the company SecurityScorecard assessing the cyber risk exposure of U.S. and European political parties.

“While SecurityScorecard believes the DNC has made significant investments in security since 2016, the organizational behavior at managing digital assets still lags behind the RNC,” the report states.

The company noted that the Republican National Committee scored higher on cybersecurity in the spring of 2016 – before the DNC hacks and subsequent release of thousands of private emails by WikiLeaks in the run-up to the presidential election.

The DNC did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill, while a spokesperson for the RNC stressed that the organization is “constantly working to stay ahead of emerging threats.”

“Data security remains a priority for the RNC and we continue to proactively work with top IT vendors to stay abreast and monitor potential risks,” RNC press secretary Blair Ellis said.