Homemade Key Opens Diebold AccuVote-TS Electronic Voting Machines

We have discussed before how easy it would be to rig an election using some of today’s e-voting machines, like the ones made by Diebold. Ed Feltenof the Freedom to Tinker blog first told us how easy it would be to change the vote totals using malicious code, now he has posted how, using Diebold’s own website, you can make your own key to unlock the flimsy cover that they use on the voting machines! They sell the key to the locks to people, who have accounts only, but they had a detailed picture of the key posted to their online store, and Ross Kinard of Sploitcast made three keys from the picture and two of them actually opened the lock. Video is below.

By now it should be clear that Diebold’s AccuVote-TS electronic voting machines have lousy security. Our study last fall showed that malicious software running on the machines can invisibly alter votes, and that this software can be installed in under a minute by inserting a new memory card into the side of the machine. The last line of defense against such attacks is a cheap lock covering the memory card door. Our video shows that the lock can be picked in seconds, and, infamously, it can also be opened with a key that is widely sold for use in hotel minibars and jukeboxes.

Security experts advocate designing systems with “defense in depth,” multiple layers of barriers against attack. The Diebold electronic voting systems, unfortunately, seem to exhibit “weakness in depth.” If one mode of attack is blocked or simply too inconvenient, there always seems to be another waiting to be exposed. Source: Diebold Shows How to Make Your Own Voting Machine Key

This is amazing, these people shouldn’t even be allowed to talk about security, let alone claim that they have any. Two out of the three keys worked. Why not just hand people a card with the malicious code on it, show them how to use it and then ask them not to change the vote totals. According to that website, nearly all of the machines deployed across the country use the exact same key as the one that was shown on the Diebold site, so almost anyone, almost anywhere could affect an election using a simple homemade key and a little bit of code. Ross said he sent many emails to Diebold and the never removed the picture, Ed posted on his blog Tuesday and now they have removed it, finally. Pictures are still out there though, hopefully the ones who posted them will remove them, because, if the past is any indicator, this won’t be fixed and Diebold and their supporters will spin their way out, again.

Posted by Jimmy Daniels Posted in: E-voting, Politics, Security No Comments » January 2007

E-Voting Problems

I had talked earlier about Election Fraud and how easy it could be using the new e-voting machines that everyone wants to use nowadays. Well it appears that there are plenty of e-voting problems according to this post on Techdirt, Would You Believe It? Widespread Reports Of E-Voting Problems.

What a surprise that after plenty of people have pointed out for years why e-voting machines are problematic that there appear to be numerous reports of problems with the machines. There’s nothing too surprising: reports of machines not working right, selecting the wrong candidate or poll workers not knowing how the machines worked at all. Everywhere you look there are more and more and more reports of problems. While elections officials everywhere are trying to claim it’s no big deal, it should be a huge deal.

And check out the big list of voting problems from ABCnews,

A Republican source said that while party officials still felt that things were going relatively smoothly, they were concerned about the possibility that Michigan senate candidate Mike Bouchard’s Web site was hacked, and machines had been tampered with in New Jersey. Party officials were also concerned that they ran out of ballots in a heavily Republican county in New Mexico, but in balance, they were comfortable with the process of the election.

Ohio is the No. 1 state getting called about at nationwide hotline centers run by Election Protection — a consortium led by People for the American Way, the NAACP, and the Lawyer Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law. According to calls at the Election Protection hotline in Ohio, there were large problems in the district of East Cleveland (Cuyahoga County) — all the machines at one precinct crashed and they did not hand out paper ballots.

In New Jersey — home of a key and close Senate race between Democrat Bob Menendez and Republican Tom Kean Jr. — Republicans are upset about reports that machines are malfunctioning. The reports say Menendez is pre-selected on machines when voters try to use them. Voters tried to cast their ballot for Tom Kean but couldn’t. It was unknown if it was caused by glitches or something malicious.

In Pennsylvania, Poll hours have been extended to 9 p.m. to compensate for machine malfunctions. The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law plans to file a lawsuit about delays and problems at the polls due to machine malfunctions. They want Lawrence County voting hours extended to compensate for machine malfunctions. Source: ABC News

Sounds like lots of problems are happening and I just quoted a few of them. Although they are still happy that everything is going smoothly. But that is part of the problem today, as long as its not too many people having trouble, they will call it a successful election, but if anyone has a problem voting, if you ask me, that is a problem. Voting is a right and everyone’s vote should count.

More coverage from Techdirt on e-voting, http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20061106/231708.shtml” target=”_blank”>What The Maryland Study On Diebold Voting Machines Didn’t Tell You where a 200 page report on the Diebold voting machines was knocked down to 38 pages, by none other that, you guessed it, Diebold. How many industries get to do that?

The Electronic Voting Movie Diebold Didn’t Want You To See… Even If They Hadn’t Seen It Where Techdirt talks about the movie Diebold doesn’t want you to see, see it here Hacking Democracy on Google Video.

Posted by Jimmy Daniels Posted in: E-voting, Election Fraud, Politics No Comments » November 2006