posted on August 15, 2004 05:00:19 PM
Apparent security hole highlights danger of e-voting
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — The strange case of an election tally that appears to have popped up on the Internet hours before polls closed is casting new doubts about the trustworthiness of electronic voting machines.
During San Luis Obispo County's March 2002 primary, absentee vote tallies were apparently sent to an Internet site operated by Diebold Election Systems, the maker of the voting machines used in the election.
At least that's what timestamps on digital records showed.
County election officials say the unexplained gaffe probably didn't influence the vote, and Diebold executives — who only recently acknowledged the lapse — say voters should have confidence in the election process.
But computer programmers say the incident is further evidence that electronic voting technology could allow a politically connected computer hacker to monitor balloting and, if the vote was going the wrong way, mobilize voters to swing the election.
"If you're at the state party headquarters and you know how the vote is going in a county, you can allocate scarce resources to the county where you're losing by a close margin," said Jim March, a computer system administrator from Milpitas who examined ballot results that ended up on a Diebold site without password protection. "This data is incredibly valuable to a campaign manager."
Silicon Valley computer experts have long criticized touch-screen voting machines, which do not normally provide a paper receipt and which send digital votes directly to a computer server. Programmers say software bugs, power outages or clever hackers could easily delete or alter data — and recounts would prove impossible without paper backups.
A New York Times editorial
January 31, 2004
TODAY'S EDITORIALS
How to Hack an Election
Concerned citizens have been warning that new electronic voting technology being rolled out nationwide can be used to steal elections. Now there is proof. When the State of Maryland hired a computer security firm to test its new machines, these paid hackers had little trouble casting multiple votes and taking over the machines' vote-recording mechanisms. The Maryland study shows convincingly that more security is needed for electronic voting, starting with voter-verified paper trails.
When Maryland decided to buy 16,000 AccuVote-TS voting machines, there was considerable opposition. Critics charged that the new touch-screen machines, which do not create a paper record of votes cast, were vulnerable to vote theft. The state commissioned a staged attack on the machines, in which computer-security experts would try to foil the safeguards and interfere with an election.
They were disturbingly successful. It was an "easy matter," they reported, to reprogram the access cards used by voters and vote multiple times. They were able to attach a keyboard to a voting terminal and change its vote count. And by exploiting a software flaw and using a modem, they were able to change votes from a remote location.""
Now, twelve and other neocons will say these are all lies but to the thinking people in this chat room.....
Do you REALLY want the party with the best hackers to win ? Remeber, it might not be YOUR party !
posted on August 15, 2004 05:26:15 PM
I am not chicken little and see no problem... you dredge up 2 year old material yet the truth is that as of this month no one has manipulted an election result or has been able to.
testing is on going and as some flaws have been discovered they too will be fixws.
Liberals complain about the "chad" then complain about technology... just how do you want this vote to be taken?
AIN'T LIFE GRAND...
posted on August 15, 2004 05:40:34 PM
Electronic voting debate: Can computers ever be trustworthy?
By Rachel Konrad, Associated Press
SAN JOSE, Calif. — A growing number of federal and state legislators are expressing doubts about the integrity of the ATM-like electronic voting machines that at least 50 million Americans will use to cast their ballots in November.
Computer scientists have long criticized the so-called touchscreen machines as not being much more reliable than home computers, which can crash, malfunction and fall prey to hackers and viruses.
Now, a series of failures in primaries across the nation has shaken confidence in the technology installed at thousands of precincts. Despite reassurances from the machines' makers, at least 20 states have introduced legislation requiring a paper record of every vote cast.
On Thursday, a key California panel unanimously recommended banning a popular Diebold Inc. paperless touchscreen model — a move that could force Diebold and other manufacturers to overhaul their business practices nationwide. Secretary of State Kevin Shelley, who said Diebold glitches "jeopardized the outcome" of the March 2 primary, has until April 30 to decide whether to decertify Diebold and possibly other touchscreen terminals in California.
The head of a newly created federal agency charged with overseeing electronic voting called Diebold's problems "deeply troubling." The bipartisan U.S. Election Assistance Commission, formed in January to develop technical standards for electronic voting, will conduct a May 5 public hearing in Washington, D.C.
"We wanted to jump into this issue in time to impact November's election," said agency director DeForest B. Soaries, Jr. "There are so many troubling issues that have emerged surrounding electronic voting and so much money has been spent since 2000 on converting to electronic voting systems that it requires our attention — particularly because many states assume the computer is the solution."
Even a top Diebold executive acknowledged this week that the systems are not foolproof, as he apologized for primary-day failures and the fact that his company installed uncertified software in counties across California.
posted on August 15, 2004 07:08:47 PM
BLACK BOX VOTING is the only publicly funded, independent organization doing active investigative work -- traveling around the U.S. to get to the bottom of your specific concerns about election procedures. We are funded exclusively by donations, and we need your help. You can help by making a donation, organizing a fund raiser, sending us tips and concerns, and participating in our election watch team this fall.
August 8, 2004
Watch Black Box Voting Director teach Gov. Howard Dean to hack the vote (it took him 90 seconds): CNBC Sunday night
Show: "Topic A" at 8 p.m. Eastern (check local listings for your time. Bev Harris and California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley are guests
SEE ALSO: Sunday Aug. 8 New York Times for an article on Harris & Stephenson's 10-state July investigative trip.
posted on August 15, 2004 09:12:17 PM
America’s elections should be sterling examples of representative government. But the Florida fiasco in 2000 was just the opposite, an embarrassment to our country. Unless we act now, we could see an even worse election disaster.
After the disputed presidential election, Congress allocated billions of dollars through the Help Americans Vote Act (HAVA) to improve America’s voting machines.
Trouble is, many election officials are installing voting systems with touch screen computerized voting machines that are vulnerable to the same problems as other computer technology, including crashes, power-outages, viruses, and hacking. Simple question: has your computer ever crashed losing important data? Now apply that lesson to our democracy.
The fledgling technology already has failed widely-publicized tests. One hacker was able to open a locked machine and start changing votes. It took him less than a minute. Another hacker was able to intercept and change vote totals being sent to headquarters. Still other experts analyzed a computer voting software program and found serious problems.
posted on August 15, 2004 09:24:15 PM
No need to worry .....last month the kerry campaign said it had formed a SWAT team of lawyers from all over the US that would be keeping tabs on all election functions....including voting machines.
So...if what he said is true...you should be able to sleep better tonight.
But I do want to mention all your copy and pasting in this thread.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"One thing is for sure: the extremists have faith in our weakness. And the weaker we are, the more they will come after us." --Tony Blair
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"The War on Terror will not be won until America is united. And as long as Democrats target the Bush administration -- not the terrorists -- as the enemy, we are in trouble." --Oliver North
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Those are only two reasons why we need to:
Re-elect President Bush!!!
edited to add: So when kerry loses...they'll be absolutely no excuse that can be used....since I'm sure HIS SWAT team of lawyers will be working very hard to insure nothing improper is done. And when this President is re-elected.....you won't be able to claim this was wrong..that was wrong. They'll be NO excuses.
posted on August 15, 2004 09:40:13 PM
And, Linda, why would YOU have a problem with C&P ?
Isn't that YOUR preferred method of debate?
Is it OK for you to use but no one else?
Or no one else should use it if they're RIGHT?
Which is it?
And:
Even if we could come up with a fool proof way to vote, THAT'S not the only problem we have when dealing with crooked Republicans.
There's a BIG list of things that were wrong about the last elections.
But this thread is about hackers, I made a point, and won't be diverted with BS from the righties.
Want to talk about our last "honest" presidential election....start another thread.
posted on August 16, 2004 08:41:57 AM
There should be paper receipts issued to both the voter and the election officials..
Regardless which Party wins without back-up paper receipts.. one or the other will be crying foul..
Embarrassed by the Rubin report, Maryland commissioned its own audit of the Diebold system, hoping to dispel concerns about the machines. But that report confirmed that the machines were poorly programmed and "at high risk of compromise."
Six months later, Maryland officials hired a group of researchers from Raba Technologies -- some of whom were former employees of the National Security Agency -- to hack into the Diebold systems during a simulated election. Again, they confirmed what the Johns Hopkins researchers had found.
We could have done anything we wanted to," said William Arbaugh, a University of Maryland assistant professor of computer science and one of the hackers. "We could change the ballots (before the election) or change the votes during the election."
What did Stalin say? It is not who votes, but who counts the vote?
posted on August 16, 2004 10:01:30 AMAnd, Linda, why would YOU have a problem with C&P ?
I have absolutely no problem with it. YOU'RE the one that has bitched about it and is always mentioning it. Not when lefties do it...just when righties do it. You're the hypocrite....not I.
Isn't that YOUR preferred method of debate?
I've been here a long time...and this board has always posted either links or c&p to use as back-up to statements made...to support ones side of the issue. People then complained if there were no supporting links or c&ps. Some like them - some don't. Can't please everyone. But you are the one who has made mention of it most often recently.
Is it OK for you to use but no one else? Nope it's fine for all to do. Just not 'fine' when one bitches about it being done - when righties do it - and then turn around and do it youself.
Or no one else should use it if they're RIGHT? Which is it? Again it's the being a hypocrite that you've shown yourself to be when you hold this double standard....okay for you and other lefties...not okay when done by a conservative....or President Bush supporter.
Want to talk about our last "honest" presidential election....start another thread.
Until you personally own this board...I'll post what I wish to post.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"One thing is for sure: the extremists have faith in our weakness. And the weaker we are, the more they will come after us." --Tony Blair
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"The War on Terror will not be won until America is united. And as long as Democrats target the Bush administration -- not the terrorists -- as the enemy, we are in trouble." --Oliver North
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Those are only two reasons why we need to:
posted on August 16, 2004 11:01:48 AM
Linda if you only knew what a comedian you are!
But no matter how you try to divert attention from the fact that I am right about voting machines, I'm still right.
I love how you say, "Until you personally own this board...I'll post what I wish to post. "
But before this YOU tell me all the "rules" for C&P !
Like:
"Is it OK for you to use but no one else?" Nope it's fine for all to do. Just not 'fine' when one bitches about it being done - when righties do it - and then turn around and do it youself.
Well, linduh, until you own this board I'll post what and how I wish.
