Less than half of U.S. states have asked the Department of Homeland Security to assess their election systems for hacking vulnerabilities.
A DHS spokesperson told ABC News only 21 states have undergone or requested to undergo the free assessment. It's unclear exactly which states have participated.
During these reviews, a team checks election systems for cybersecurity vulnerabilities and conducts exercises like phishing tests to make sure election officials are ready to handle any hacking attempts.
Concerns about potential vote hacking have been on the rise since Russia attempted to interfere with the 2016 presidential election. And with just one week to go before midterm elections, those concerns are even higher.
But the U.S. has taken steps to deter any Russian interference. Last week, unnamed defense officials told The Washington Post that U.S. Cyber Command is letting Russian operatives know that the U.S. is watching them.
