The Harry Hursti Hack and Its Importance to our Nation

[OR Ruminator]

more at: http://votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=820&Itemid=113



"...the Hursti hack is individually significant because the flaw it exposed is a planned vulnerability in the system, not something that is accidentally there. It had to be PUT there (programmed) on purpose. For Diebold to claim innocence about this would be absurd. It would be like saying you didn't know your garage had a door while you were standing there holding the garage door opener. Or, because this security vulnerability is so huge, it would more accurately be like saying you didn't know your house had a garage at all!! "

This article is a wonderful, enlightening, and inspiring discussion from a witness to the hacking test which caused two Florida counties to dump their Diebold machines.

[Greyhound]

1. K&R

[ixion]

2. someone explain to me how this is not national news

and, given that it is, how our national broadcast 'news' outlets somehow feel it's not worth covering. :grr:

[mirrera]

4. It made the Washington Post on Sunday

It is just starting to reach the top. Here is the link to the Post article:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/21/AR2006012101051.html

It was in the Miami Herald Dec. 15 '05
You have to pay $2.95 to access their archives. The title of the article is:"New tests fuel doubts about vote machines"

I would be happy to email the full article to anyone that PMs me. It really covers it. I guess the Washington Post was waiting more then a month to see if it would just go away. Nice of them to look out for us that way...grrrrr

An interesting footnote is that Leon County made a handshake deal with ES&S to use their AutoMark machine instead of Diebold's touchscreen to comply with HAVA's requirement to have machines in place for "individuals with disabilities", but the implication was Ion Sancho picked them because they at least have paper, but you definitely could predict that he was bound to test their software at some point too. Well ES&S just canceled the deal with Leon county saying in effect that they don't think they can be good partners for Leon County. Hmmm, I wonder why not? They aren't happy with a county whose head of elections invites someone in to test the security of the software? What have they got to worry about?

Here is a link to the article in Computer World:
http://www.computerworld.com/governmenttopics/government/policy/story/0,10801,107952,00.html

What can be confusing to election officials or Sec. of States about this hack is that they concentrate on the PURCHSE decision, and the choice being considered was Diebold Touchscreen, no paper...or ES&S AutoMark touchscreen with paper. BUT the hack was carried out on a Diebold scanner which, of course has a paper record. BOTH the scanner and the touchscreen by Diebold use memory cards so it was a relevant hack. The confusion when dealing with officials is that they gloss over the software side of it and focus on the choice. As in "Oh we had better get something with paper too". Sure paper is better, BUT it is about the security of the software on the memory cards, and that has to be repeated again and again.

Illegal programming can be inserted easily and way before it gets to our election officials.

PS
Does anyone know if ES&S and Diebold are still run by brothers? I am not quite sure how to find out. What to google without coming up with all our posts on DU.

Edited to add this link which has a good explanation of "interpreted code" and also a diagram illustrating how it works.
http://votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=645&Itemid=26

VoteTrustUSA.org should be daily reading for those trying to keep up...



http://NoBullshiRt.com

[ixion]

5. sure, understood...and thanks for the links

but given magnitude of the discovery and it's controversial nature, I would figure it would be a lead story for any MSM outlet, if they had any journalistic integrity, at least. ;-)

[mirrera]

7. Not just the media, ALL of us...

see my post that is soon disappeared on the GD politics forum:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2388288



http://NoBullshiRt.com

[bemildred]

3. Nice piece.

The obvious question, once you face up to the continued need for paper ballots, is why bother with the touchscreens at all? What do touchscreen systems add but cost and vulnerability?

[mopinko]

6. it's like standing

in a bank safe, pockets stuffed, bags of money in each hand, and saying you got lost on the way to the bathroom.