Both of America’s major political parties have been using Duo Security, which specializes in multi-factor authentication (MFA), to secure sensitive information ahead of the 2020 Presidential election, according to a Cyber Scoop report.

The Republican National Committee (RNC) has been using Duo since just days before the 2016 Presidential election to provide multiple layers of protection for both personal and private emails and accounts, and has reportedly been paying $1000 per month for Duo’s services since March of this year.

The Republicans’ counterparts across the aisle — the Democratic National Committee (DNC) — were famously the subject of a major hack during the 2016 election that exposed massive amounts of sensitive data. The breach became one of the focal points of an investigation into foreign influence in that election, centred around the role that Russia is widely believed to have played.

In what is looking certain to be a highly contentious election next year, both parties are taking data security very seriously, with sensitive information like polling data, candidate research, campaign funding, and election strategies now being safeguarded by Duo’s MFA services.

“If you have not started using 2FA you are severely, severely vulnerable,” said Mike Gilding, the deputy director of information technology at the RNC. “That is the first thing any political organization, any government organization, any person that has any type of communication with finances [should do],” he added.

Meanwhile, the DNC has also been using Duo, with their services costing them $500 per month this past year.

Source: Cyber Scoop