The 2020 census is coming, and it will be a little different this time around. This decade, the census will be collected via the internet. For households that do not submit census data online, census workers will go door to door and record census data on smartphones.
The census is a great cyber target for nations that would like to undermine the United States. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has designated the 2020 census as a “high-risk operation.” The GAO made 112 recommendations (some cyber related, some not) around the 2020 census, 28 of which have not been addressed.
In testing the system, issues were found with performance when 400,000 people respond at a time. This has led the Census Bureau to change it’s primary system to a system that has not undergone thorough testing. The change could lead to unchecked vulnerabilities making it to production.
The census drives important decisions about congressional districts, and distribution of federal funding. Compromising the integrity of the census could have severe effects; but if compromised, plan B is a paper census. Reverting to plan B would have significant costs, delays, and loss of confidence in the Census Bureau.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/shift-digital-census-raises-fear-iowa-breakdown-69003930
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/cybersecurity-issues-with-us-2020/
Cybersecurity Weekly 