"Hotel Minibar" Keys Open Diebold Voting Machines

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http://www.freedom-to-tinker.com/?p=1064

Like other computer scientists who have studied Diebold voting machines, we were surprised at the apparent carelessness of Diebold’s security design. It can be hard to convey this to nonexperts, because the examples are technical. To security practitioners, the use of a fixed, unchangeable encryption key and the blind acceptance of every software update offered on removable storage are rookie mistakes; but nonexperts have trouble appreciating this. Here is an example that anybody, expert or not, can appreciate:

The access panel door on a Diebold AccuVote-TS voting machine — the door that protects the memory card that stores the votes, and is the main barrier to the injection of a virus — can be opened with a standard key that is widely available on the Internet....

Chris’s key was left over from a previous job, maybe fifteen years ago. He said the key had opened either a file cabinet or the access panel on an old VAX computer. A little research revealed that the exact same key is used widely in office furniture, electronic equipment, jukeboxes, and hotel minibars. It’s a standard part, and like most standard parts it’s easily purchased on the Internet. We bought several keys from an office furniture key shop — they open the voting machine too. We ordered another key on eBay from a jukebox supply shop. The keys can be purchased from many online merchants....

[derby378]

1. Kicked, Recommended, and BOOKMARKED!!!

Is everyone awake now...?

[texpatriot2004]

2. This already on the Greatest page here at DU. I think this is a

dupe thread.

[derby378]

5. Aw, shoot...

It's a great find, though.

[LiberalHeart]

12. I put it in DU lounge earlier today...

...then saw that someone had put it in General Discussion way earlier. But I think the more places it shows up, the better.

[Fridays Child]

3. k/r

[WindRavenX]

4. lawlz

:(

[Cobalt Violet]

6. I wonder if this is the jukebox supply shop?

http://search.stores.ebay.com/Daves-Juke-Joint_jukebox-key_Jukebox-Keys-Lights_W0QQfcdZ2QQfromZR10QQfsubZ12QQftsZ2QQsaselZ1273631QQsofpZ0


Shopping anyone??? :evilgrin::evilgrin::evilgrin::evilgrin::evilgrin:

[pooja]

7. Its hackable... they don't even have to get into the box... students

in Miami were hacking into a mock similie... its not even funny. And Gov. Bush in FL is sending out large pamphlets to Repugs to get a write in ballot and mail it certified. He even knows that its fraud. By the way... my husband, the republican, received his marching orders to do this.

[Kelvin Mace]

8. At this point,

if I were a bank, I would be asking how many Diebold bank vaults can be opened with the same keys?

[havocmom]

9. LOL Good question!

Let's all call our banks tomorrow and put bugs in their ointment. Be fun to watch Diebold's stock plummet. :thumbsup:

[samsingh]

10. diebold doesn't care much about democrasy do they?

and our soldiers are over presumably fighting and dying for it. truly disgusting. friends of bush of course.

[Warpy]

11. So do crochet hooks

They are NOT sophisticated locks.