In other words: A discussion of The Bush Administration
From the "Gad Damn it people you are talking about voting here, the cornerstone of democracy and yet your basing your voting machines on Microsoft 'security is definitely on the radar for the future' code?" department. And also from "how can we have any feeling of security about any election result if the source code for the voting machine is available on Anonymous (no password required) FTP sites" department. And also from the "Again with the anonymous FTP sites, is it a requirement to have no idea of what security is to be involved in electronic voting, it was bad enough with Diebold but now it seems to be a god damn required for you guys (or at least your vendors)" department:
E-Vote Software Leaked Online
Software used by an electronic voting system manufactured by Sequoia Voting Systems has been left unprotected on a publicly available server, raising concerns about the possibility of vote tampering in future elections.
The software, made available at ftp.jaguar.net, is stored on an FTP server owned by Jaguar Computer Systems, a firm that provides election support to a California county. The software is used for placing ballots on voting kiosks and for storing and tabulating results for the Sequoia AVC Edge touch-screen system.
The security breach means that anyone with a minimal amount of technical knowledge could see how the code works and potentially exploit it. According to a computer programmer who discovered the unprotected server, the files also contain Visual Basic script and code for voting system databases that could allow someone to learn how to rig voting results. The programmer spoke on condition of anonymity.
...
The files on the server also revealed that the Sequoia system relies heavily on Microsoft software components, a fact the company often has been coy about discussing since Microsoft software is a frequent target of hackers.
Jaguar, based in Riverside, California, left the data unencrypted and unprotected. The FTP server allowed anyone to access it anonymously.
Once a visitor gained access to the server, a small note stated that the server was meant for employees and clients of Jaguar. However, the company's own website directed visitors to the FTP server and noted that "our '/PUB' directory is stuffed with many of the files that we use." The website has since been changed by Jaguar.
Sequoia's AVC Edge voting machines were used in California's Riverside County for the 2000 presidential election and for last month's California gubernatorial recall election. The system also has been used in counties in Florida and Washington state.
It's the second time this year that voting machine code has been leaked on the Internet.
In January, source code for the AccuVote-TS system made by Diebold Election Systems was found on an unprotected FTP server belonging to the company.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins and Rice universities who read the Diebold code found numerous security flaws in the system and published a report (PDF) that prompted the state of Maryland to conduct its own audit of the software.
...
On its website, Sequoia makes a point of stating that its system is much more secure than the Diebold system, since it doesn't rely on Microsoft software. The website reads: "While Diebold relies on a Microsoft operating system that is well known and understood by computer hackers, Sequoia's AVC Edge runs on a proprietary operating system that is designed solely for the conduct of elections."
In fact, the system uses WinEDS, or Election Database System for Windows. WinEDS runs on top of the Microsoft Windows operating system.
...
The companies making electronic voting systems long have said that their systems are proprietary and their code needs to remain secret in order for the systems to be secure.
Cindy Cohn, an attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said information gained from the discovery of the Diebold and Sequoia codes indicates the exact opposite.
...
"This argument that everything needs to be kept secret is not viable because the stuff does get out whether companies intend it or not," he said. "Now two out of the three top companies have leaked their system.
"Scientists are being made to feel afraid to look at these things which in the end will be bad for our society. Why shouldn't everyone want scientists to look? If there's any feeling that there may actually be danger to our elections, how can we not be encouraging researchers to look at our systems?" Rubin said.
- rob 2:58 PM - [PermaLink] -
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