[ale] Its over. Maybe

Bob Toxen bob at verysecurelinux.com
Thu Nov 4 16:57:09 EST 2004


One of the biggest argument about the Diebold system is that
there are NO cryptographic signatures to limit where tampering could
be done.  If each touchscreen system was set to accept 500 voters and
loaded with 500 cryptographic signatures that follow the tabulation
all the way to the state computer, there could be no tampering en route.

The fact that the touchscreen system's software is not audited (it's
proprietary) allows anyone from Diebold to Microsoft to Al Qaida to
say "switch 3% of the presidential vote from Democrap to Republicrap
or vice versa.

Voter verifiable paper trail is the ONLY way to ensure an honest election
and is very cheap to implement.  Had we had honest gov't it would have
been done in Georgia.  I think that it was done in some other states.

Bob Toxen
bob at verysecurelinux.com               [Please use for email to me]
http://www.verysecurelinux.com        [Network&Linux/Unix security consulting]
http://www.realworldlinuxsecurity.com [My book:"Real World Linux Security 2/e"]
Quality Linux & UNIX security and SysAdmin & software consulting since 1990.

"Microsoft: Unsafe at any clock speed!"
   -- Bob Toxen 10/03/2002

On Thu, Nov 04, 2004 at 08:37:57AM -0500, Michael Still wrote:
> On Thu, 4 Nov 2004 03:14:25 +0000, aaron <aaron at pd.org> wrote:
> > On Thursday 04 November 2004 05:14, Michael Still wrote:
...
> If this is the case, then this is where the vulnerability is. 
> Hopefully a checksum/fingerprinting feature is employed by the voting
> software that would provide for checking if the db had been manually
> altered.

> > While there are many cross checks to confirm that the numbers of ballots
> > cast
> > ... 
> > > Cracking the Ga voting system using technology (or subverting) is not
> > > as easy as you would think.  The system may still be vulnerable, but
> > > it would take a major effort.

> > ...but the fraud could be effectively carried out by as few as 1 or 2
> > people, is especially easy for Diebold insiders, could easily be done
> > in a way that
> > was undetectable, and could effect the election outcomes of an entire State
> > or Nation.
> > 
> > peace
> > aaron
> > 
> >
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