DNC official: We all need to get serious about election security. You too, Republicans. From candidates to voters, we're vulnerable to cyber attacks. Here are ways you can make it harder for foreign adversaries to disrupt US elections.

Bob Lord | Opinion contributor

Show Caption Hide Caption US officials raise alarm about election security Top U.S. intelligence and homeland security officials are raising alarms about potential efforts to influence the 2018 and 2020 elections. (Aug. 2)

Cybersecurity is on everyone's mind as we approach the 2018 midterm elections. We’re reading articles about everything from the challenges of securing voter machines, to new phrases like “computational propaganda” and “influence operations,” to Trump not doing enough to hold Russia accountable and Republicans refusing to provide necessary election security funding.

Here at Democratic Party headquarters, we know firsthand the damage wreaked by a cyber intrusion. We strongly believe our democracy will not be protected from the threat of foreign adversaries until Republicans join Democrats to take action.

Still, the DNC is not waiting for the cavalry to show up. We are doing everything we can right now to ensure our elections are safe and secure. We’re trying to better understand these issues and find solutions to not only protect ourselves, but to help campaigns and state parties do the same. The DNC is partnering with experts to help shape our thinking across the spectrum of security-related topics. We’ve also offered better resources and guidance to our own staffers and opened up lines of communication with candidates, state parties, and the rest of the Democratic infrastructure.

Please get serious about cyber security

We’re working around the clock with various parts of the Democratic ecosystem to help everyone do their part to protect against foreign adversaries who seek to influence our elections. The truth is that there is no one program, or person, who can stop a cyber attack from a foreign adversary. But if campaign staffers, volunteers, organizers, and voters all across the country can follow the basic steps of cybersecurity, we’ll make our entire election system more secure.

Here’s what you can do to help:

► Secure your devices. This is the easy step. The makers of the devices you carry around provide software updates. Those software updates usually contain fixes for security vulnerabilities that the manufacturer has discovered on their own, or has been made aware of by a third party. And it’s simple to install these updates. Yet despite how simple it is, I’m often amazed at how many people just put it off, not realizing they are generating unnecessary risk for themselves and their entire organization.

More: Your cell phone number is more important and less secure than your Twitter password

Don't call it 'meddling.' The Russians attacked our democracy.

The Russians are hacking. Luckily the Trump voter fraud commission isn't in charge.

► Secure your accounts. This one can take a little more time, but it’s well worth it. You’ll want to start by getting a password manager that will store the account names and passwords for all your accounts. Even better, it can auto-fill those names and passwords in your web browser. This feature means that you can change the password for your Netflix account to “NvXz7T2WZ0m161JvjnA$”, something I can neither memorize nor type easily (but the software manager can!). And you can do that for all your accounts, meaning you will never reuse a password. Ask any security expert and they’ll tell you that password reuse is one of the most common forms of account hijacking.

► Enable two-factor login. This extra layer of security means that in order to compromise your account, an attacker must obtain your user name, password, and another factor that is often tied to your phone. Where do you need to enable two-factor login? Anywhere you can.

► Stay alert for phishing emails and do not open unexpected links, even from trusted senders. Campaigns and state parties should also move toward encrypted messaging when appropriate in order to add an extra layer of security for sensitive information.

Help defend democracy against future attacks

► In February, the heads of the FBI, CIA and NSA strongly recommended that Americans not purchase Huawei or ZTE devices because they pose a security risk. It's very important that party and campaign workers not use ZTE or Huawei devices, even if the price is low or free.

While following this basic advice will not make you bulletproof, it raises the bar very high and it makes attacks against you more expensive for foreign adversaries. And ultimately that’s what you want to do: make it more difficult for others to mount a successful attack against you.

We all have an important part to play in defending our democracy against future attacks. People who have suffered a real compromise tell me they would have done almost anything to avoid the experience. Don’t let it happen to you. Follow these steps, stay vigilant, and help us hold Trump and Republicans accountable to ensure they do their part as well. The security of our elections should not be partisan — it should be both parties’ top priority. Our democracy depends on it.

Bob Lord is Chief Security Officer of the Democratic National Committee. Follow him on Twitter: @boblord