HEAT Methodology

IFES’s Holistic Exposure and Adaptation Testing (HEAT) process helps EMBs identify and test the potential exploitation of vulnerabilities of election technology and the legal and operational frameworks in which the technology operates. The technology used in elections presents a unique challenge; a balance between security and transparency must be found to ensure election infrastructure is both adequately protected and transparent enough to ensure ongoing public trust. IFES’s HEAT process integrates security into the human, political, legal, and procedural aspects of elections to produce a holistic assessment to identify potential vulnerabilities and exposure to cybersecurity risk.