New Diebold security flaw worse than ANY others - "there IS no back door"

[Amaryllis]

MSM reporting again, folks...

http://www.insidebayarea.com/argus/localnews/ci_3804675

Voting glitch said to be 'dangerous'
By Ian Hoffman, STAFF WRITER

Elections officials in several states are scrambling to understand and limit the risk from a "dangerous" security hole found in Diebold Election Systems Inc.'s ATM-like touch-screen voting machines.

The hole is considered more worrisome than most security problems discovered on modern voting machines, such as weak encryption, easily pickable locks and use of the same, weak password nationwide.

Armed with a little basic knowledge of Diebold voting systems and a standard component available at any computer store, someone with a minute or two of access to a Diebold touch screen could load virtually any software into the machine and disable it, redistribute votes or alter its performance in myriad ways.

"This one is worse than any of the others I've seen. It's more fundamental," said Douglas Jones, a University of Iowa computer scientist and veteran voting-system examiner for the state of Iowa.

"In the other ones, we've been arguing about the security of the locks on the front door," Jones said. "Now we find that there's no back door. This is the kind of thing where if the states don't get out in front of the hackers, there's a real threat."

For the rest:
http://www.insidebayarea.com/argus/localnews/ci_3804675

[IndyOp]

1. With access to just the touch screen? Or access to the memory card?

I knew about the memory card, but not about hackability of the touch screen component of the system. On edit: If this is the Hursti Hack - it is the memory cards that are vulnerable to hacking.

Here is a link to story of the Hursti Hack and *video* of Ion Sancho...

<http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1143671#1143832>

:grr:

[stillcool]

4. I think this is something different....

A Finnish computer expert working with Black Box Voting, a nonprofit organization critical of electronic voting, found the security hole in March after Emery County, Utah, was forced by state officials to accept Diebold touch screens, and a local elections official let the expert examine the machines.

Black Box Voting was to issue two reports today on the security hole, one of limited distribution that explains the vulnerability fully and one for public release that withholds key technical details.

The computer expert, Harri Hursti, quietly sent word of the vulnerability in March to several computer scientists who advise various states on voting systems. At least two of those scientists verified some or all of Hursti's findings. Several notified their states and requested meetings with Diebold to understand the problem

Scientists said Diebold appeared to have opened the hole by making it as easy as possible to upgrade the software inside its machines. The result, said Iowa's Jones, is a violation of federal voting system rules.
"All of us who have heard the technical details of this are really shocked. It defies reason that anyone who works with security would tolerate this design," he said.

...per same article linked above

[liberal N proud]

2. Isn't that convenient?

[mod mom]

3. I'm confused, I thought the "back door" allowed for manipulation,

From Bradblog:

http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00001838.htm

I am not mechcanical and have never attempted to understand the mechanisms within electronic voting machines, so excuse my ignorance, here.

[mod mom]

5. Oops, I think the "back door I am thinking about is on Central Tabulators:

DIEB-THROAT : 'Diebold System One of Greatest Threats Democracy Has Ever Known'
Identifies U.S. Homeland Security 'Cyber Alert' Prior to '04 Election Warning Votes Can be 'Modified Remotely' via 'Undocumented Backdoor' in Central Tabulator Software!

from Brad at link above

[Steve A Play]

6. This is about the Hursti / Thompson / Security Innovation TSx TS6 review

from Utah. There is NO FIX that will 'mitigate' the security flaws found in these machine's architecture and software. These machines should be history if there's any honesty left in our elections.

To paraphrase Harri Hursti, Where's the best place to hide a hole? In Swiss cheese! :)

[Votergater]

10. Utah's courageous election supervisor Bruce Funk

allowed his Diebold machines to be investigated by Black Box Voting and Harri Hursti. Mr. Funk was vilified and lost his job for making these discoveries possible.

Now Utah's Secretary of State must admit that the machines are truly 'de-Funk-t'.

[Bill Bored]

7. This sounds like a software distribution issue on the DREs

It's as if you tried to load a new version of Word on your pc and it let you, but of course, you're not supposed to be able to do this so easily on a voting machine are you?

If Doug Jones is worried, I'm worried. :(

[Kelvin Mace]

8. Agreed.

I had a call from an AP reporter today on the issue. It will be interesting to read the docs.

[Bill Bored]

13. You mean the redacted portions I hope! nt

[Kelvin Mace]

16. That is going to leak out eventually

[w4rma]

9. There are a ridiculous number of ways to hack these things. Its impossible

to secure them because they use memory cards to store votes rather than the age old paper ballot.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

11. Would you allow a nuclear power plant to be built in your neighborhood

that had a dome constructed of paper, hay and straw? I don't think so. I think you ask for some kind of basic securities against foreseeable disasters.

The same with these stupid election systems. They are insecure, they are hackable, they are devoid of the most basic securities that any citizen would demand. I thought the answer was product liability lawsuits against the manufacturers. That doesn't seem to be going anywhere (although it should. They sold states insecure, hackable systems that are falling down every day) Now I'm starting to think that the answer is lawsuits against states and their secretaries of state for malfeasance , incompetence and whatever else someone can think of.I think it's possible that they are selling our votes down the river for future secured electoral positions or lobbying or corporate jobs for themselves or family members - always ask the question - what's in it for them?

Corporate donations, junkets, flights, jobs, hotel suites, prostitutes, boats, dinners out, . . . the list is endless

[Einsteinia]

12. And McPherson "knew"

I have been informed that the Berkeley team analysis had discovered this and it was redacted from the official report for fear that the public would could do mischief with the information, and YET McPherson still gave the green light to Diebold. What does Diebold have to do to prove itself unworthy?

[dusty64]

15. Nothing, they are doing

their appointed task perfectly. My question is where is the f'in opposition among our so called "leaders"?

[Kelvin Mace]

17. Can you get me a source on that

by e-mail and I will honor confidentiality.

David Allen
www.blackboxvoting.com

[nicknameless]

14. Another kick