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County clerk says state cybersecurity audit confirms Salt Lake County’s election equipment is air‑gapped and properly hardened
Summary
Salt Lake County’s clerk reported that accredited lab testing confirmed the county’s voting tabulation systems are air‑gapped, have wireless capabilities removed and passed hash validation checks.
Salt Lake County Clerk Lanny Chapman briefed the County Council on results from a statewide performance audit of election cybersecurity that included on‑site testing of county election equipment by an accredited lab.
Chapman said the legislative audit was authorized by the Utah Legislature and conducted under federal testing standards by SLI (an EAC‑accredited test lab) so testing wouldn’t void equipment certifications or warranties. The lab performed a network vulnerability assessment, network traffic analysis, server and workstation security reviews, wireless and Bluetooth scans, port reviews and hash validation on tabulation servers and workstations.
Chapman told the council SLI found the county’s tabulation room is air‑gapped and not connected to the Internet, that no unauthorized outbound traffic or unusual patterns were observed, and that no unauthorized devices were present on the tabulation network. She said wireless and Bluetooth hardware or capabilities are removed before systems enter the county tabulation room, preventing wireless communications. Hash validation testing confirmed that server files matched EAC‑certified versions and that non‑certified software was not present.
The county clerk explained the legislative auditor general’s statewide report identified a small number of findings across counties — including wireless capability on some equipment in other counties and two instances in the audit where election computers in other counties were not properly secured — but confirmed Salt Lake County’s systems met the expected hardening and physical security. Chapman said the county already follows many recommended practices and has memorialized long‑standing procedures on limiting user privileges and password administration; county election staff will continue to add training and inventory reviews.
Council members thanked the clerk for the briefing and asked about next steps; Chapman said the clerk’s office and the statewide clerks’ group will roll out additional training and account‑inventory exercises to strengthen password and user‑account controls across counties.
No formal council action was required. Chapman said the county will continue to refine procedures and coordinate with the legislative auditor and fellow county clerks.
