Case Study: U.S. State Government protects voter registration databases from hackers with Yubico's YubiKey

U.S. state uses the YubiKey to protect voter registration databases from hackers

A U.S. state elections office responsible for maintaining voter registration data needed a more secure, efficient, and affordable way to protect access to its statewide databases amid growing concerns about hacking. The office prioritized solutions that met industry security standards, controlled costs, and were easy for county staff to use, and after evaluating options and strengthening password policies, an IT specialist recommended YubiKeys.

The state deployed more than 1,000 YubiKeys across all counties, enabling simple authentication—username/password plus a tap—using hardware-based public-key cryptography and open standards (FIDO U2F/FIDO2). The result was stronger protection against compromised credentials, broad browser compatibility, minimal maintenance (no batteries or moving parts), easy configuration and asset management, and a scalable, cost-effective solution that improved security while remaining user-friendly.