If it was a jamming device frying locks in Vegas, how safe is PC voting?

[havocmom]

Had a thought when looking at this little tidbit about 200+ fried car
locking systems in Vegas recently.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x403710

Is it possible that jamming equipment can be so fine tuned to fry just the locks on targeted cars?

What does that mean in an election year when the maladministration is without any credible basis to argue for another term and is sinking fast?

Bev? Andy? any of the BBV computer whizzes wanna explain jamming to us Luddites?

[MercutioATC]

1. That was my issue with the story...I don't think it's possible to tune

it that way. If it had an effect on car locks, it should also have effected other electronics...I'd look to vandals with some type of handheld device that hit the cars individually before I'd blame the military.

[intheozone]

2. Vandals working for the military maybe,

You have a point about the other electronics. But your run of the mill vandals probably wouldn't have the technology or be interested in doing it just for sport. Certainly the military could send out a few special-ops to run a few tests. And I think if the end goal was to disrupt a vote by crashing voting machines, only certain voting areas would be targeted, certainly not the highly repubs areas, just the highly dem areas. So, testing the technology on limited electronics would be the way to go.

This technology, if it does in fact exist, could play havoc with the upcoming election. Look for voting machines in all a lot of those safe Dem districts to crash and burn!

Scary, very scary omen for November.

[MercutioATC]

4. I'm thinking a taser hooked to some sort of probe that'd fit in the locks.

Childish, yes, but isn't most vandalism?

[papau]

3. Curious story-couldnt "fry the lock" but lock the car and fry the remote?

These lock systems are EPROMS - so frying is a possibility - but it is over my paygrade to know how the hell you would do it.

[kath]

5. Read the article -- the regular keys wouldn't work either. It wasn't just

the remotes.

[papau]

6. "old-fashioned key, linked to the same circuitry" implies chip in key

again - or an EPROM that fried any and all response - so closing the circuit with the key did nothing - it may be a Wellstone moment.

But it is over my paygrade.

[kath]

7. So why the heck do we need computer chips in keys anyway??

So often, adding "improved technology" to something just makes it more likely that it will break down. Ack!!

[papau]

8. I agree - both my car keys can not be duplicate - I've got to order new

ones for $50.

What the chip provides is beyond me!