The software uses tracking codes, encryption and third-party apps that protect identities and voter choices. It's designed as an end-to-end verification process for voting that guards against hacking and other potential intrusions.
"The majority of nation-state activity in this period originated from actors in three countries -- Iran, North Korea and Russia," said Tom Burt, Microsoft vice president of customer security and trust. "In some instances, those attacks appear to be related to ongoing efforts to attack the democratic process."
"As we had into the 2020 elections ... we anticipate that we will see attacks targeting U.S. election systems, political campaigns or non-governmental organizations that work closely with campaigns," Burt added. Microsoft said ElectionGuard will be available at no cost and open sourced through GitHub this summer.