Electronic Voting: Your Worst Nightmares are True

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Electronic Voting: Your Worst Nightmares are True

Posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday September 4, 2003 @07:58AM from the its-only-gonna-get-worse dept.

jfreon writes "On Democracy Now Bev Harris of BlackBoxVoting fame, disclosed (near the end of the transcript) that in the compromised 1.8Gigs off Diebold's FTP site they uncovered "an actual election file containing actual votes on election day from San Luis Obispo County, California". Problem is, the date stamp was 3:31pm - during voting hours! The Diebold system uses a wireless network card. Worse: "So that means if they can pull the information in, they can also send information back into those machines. ""

13 of 904 comments (clear)

Boycott by Ignorant+Aardvark · 2003-09-04 08:02 · Score: 5, Funny

In typical slashdot fashion, we must protest this gross error in security the only way we know how - BOYCOTT!! If millions of geeks suddenly stop voting, the elected officials are going to HAVE to listen to us ... right?!

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Cyde Weys Musings - Scrutinizing the inscrutable
seriously guys... by PoPRawkZ · 2003-09-04 08:03 · Score: 4, Funny

before we worry about the voters figuring out the ballot system, let's worry about how the voters are educated about the candidates in the first place. at least someone with the knowledge to hack the voting system in the first place is educated. their choice for our nations leaders would better suit the technology savvy of us anyway. what are we worried about? the ball is in our court.

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peace,
-Grokent
Re:Slashdot is a small portion of the public by bradkittenbrink · 2003-09-04 08:03 · Score: 5, Funny

actually, shouldn't we try to keep this quiet? doesn't this mean that we can manipulate elections now without the general public finding out? say goodbye to DMCA, UCITA, etc...
Calm down everyone by Henry+V+.009 · 2003-09-04 08:04 · Score: 5, Funny

As the next President of the USA, I promise to make fixing this problem one of my top priorities.
Worst nightmare??? by Arslan+ibn+Da'ud · 2003-09-04 08:04 · Score: 4, Funny

Are you kidding? If the vote is this easy to rig? Congratulations, CmdrTaco, you've been elected!

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Practice Kind Randomness and Beautiful Acts of Nonsense.
Reading doesn't imply writing by Hayzeus · 2003-09-04 08:06 · Score: 5, Funny

So that means if they can pull the information in, they can also send information back into those machines.
Not necessarily. Just because a resource can be read from doesn't mean it can be written to. With proper design...
Oh -- we're talking about Diebold? Nevermind...

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Roving Web-Teleoperated Robot
Why bother? by SHEENmaster · 2003-09-04 08:06 · Score: 4, Funny

The mainstream press has been silenced after the Communist party won a landslide victory in the latest presidential election recount.

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You can't judge a book by the way it wears its hair.
1. Re:Why bother? by Malc · 2003-09-04 09:39 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  You guys need to be introduced to the Monster Raving Loony Party. Check out their policies: although written in a serious manner, some of them are quite silly, such as reducing class size by making the children sit closer together ;) Somehow their rock star leader has become the longest standing party leader in the UK, and they consistently field candidates across the country in every election.
Upon Further Examination... by The_Rippa · 2003-09-04 08:07 · Score: 5, Funny

The following names were found in the data...

Edgar Neubauer
Prudence Goodwyfe
Mr. and Mrs. Bananas
Humphrey Boa-Gart
Snowball I

As expected they all voted for Sideshow Bob
Falicious logic in article by Angostura · 2003-09-04 08:09 · Score: 5, Funny

OK, now there are some pretty serious implications if the files described in the transcript are what they appear to be. However, I have to say, I'm not that impressed by the quality of some of the reasoning:
... you see, a modem is always two way. If you can pull the information in, you can also push it back through the pipeline the other direction. So that means if they can pull the information in, they can also send information back into those machines.
What is wrong with this picture? And if nothing is wrong why can't I edit the Slashdot home page?
Re:Slashdot is a small portion of the public by JoeLinux · 2003-09-04 08:11 · Score: 5, Funny

We, the illuminati, have been doing this for years...I mean...wait....damnit, I was supposed to log in as anonymous.
Re:Slashdot is a small portion of the public by Lord_Slepnir · 2003-09-04 08:19 · Score: 4, Funny

Except that not just upstanding citizens would have a chance to manipulate the votes. Which would mean that Cowboy Neal is going to be our next president, with Natalie Portman of the Hot Grits party as Vice President. George W Bush will find that he will have (-1, Troll) votes in each precinct.
Re:Slashdot is a small portion of the public by km790816 · 2003-09-04 08:28 · Score: 5, Funny

Illuminati? You mean The Stonecutters?

We Do (The Stonecutter's Song)
2F09 - 8th January 1995

Who controls the British crown?
Who keeps the metric system down?
We do! We do!
Who keeps Atlantis off the maps?
Who keeps the Martians under wraps?
We do! We do!
Who holds back the electric car?
Who makes Steve Guttenberg a star?
We do! We do!
Who robs the cave fish of their site?
Who rigs every Oscar night?
We do! We do!

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A speech...