Story highlights The Guard's cyber unit's mission consists of specialized teams running tests on the state's computer networks

Hacking voting machines in the nation's 9,000 jurisdictions would be a tough task

(CNN) Ohio is calling upon the National Guard to help defend the state's election system from hackers.

"Lets face it: Cyberwarfare is a new front for the military, for business and now for elections," said Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted.

To combat that threat, Husted has done something unprecedented in the state's history. He's called on the Ohio National Guard's elite cyberprotection unit to help secure the election.

The National Guard takes orders from the state's governor. The Ohio National Guard cyber unit's election mission consists of specialized teams running penetration tests on the state's computer networks.

That means the team is trying to hack the state's network to find vulnerabilities hackers might exploit. The team is also searching the state's election system for malicious activity, like a detective casing a scene to find evidence of a crime.

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