Diebold Insider Comments on Voting System Flaw

Call Me Black Cloud writes "A Diebold insider is blowing the whistle on the company's continued lack of concern about security holes in its voting software. The insider wrote to Brad Friedman, a somewhat shrill political blogger, claiming the company is instructing technicians to keep quiet about the security flaws. This is despite the vulnerability being listed on the US-CERT website for the last year. A Diebold company rep admits the software can be remotely accessed via modem, but states, "it's up to a jurisdiction whether they wish to use it or not...I don't know of any jurisdiction that does that." The insider disputes that, claiming several counties in Maryland made use of the feature in 2004." This in addition to the fact that Blackboxvoting already hacked the system using a chimp last year.

Comments

Re:Two words

[CDMA_Demo]

From the article: In phone interviews, DIEB-THROAT confirmed that the matters were well known within the company, but that a "culture of fear" had been developed to assure that employees, including technicians, vendors and programmers kept those issues to themselves.

Has anything changed since 2000? I don't think so! Who thinks USA has anything to do with democracy?

well DUH

[elucido]

Of course winning is all about whoever hacks the vote. Of course winning is about cheating, voting has nothing to do with it.

Oh For God's Sake Already

[MikeyTheK]

This is so unbelievably stupid I can barely stand it. 1) There is a reason why elections have monitors all over the place. 2) There is a reason why both parties are entitled to have their own independent monitors at each and every polling place to challenge votes. 3) While the paper trail (receipt for the voter and one for the backup-box) is a GREAT idea, it hardly constitues potential fraud; the "hacks" require the other protections in place to fail in order to succeed. 4) The modem is a great idea, but also can AND IS SUPPOSED TO BE managed by the local jurisdiction. 5) If I worked for ANY software company, I would expect that firm to DEMAND that I keep comments and revelations about EVERYTHING that goes on inside...INSIDE! How the heck is this any different? If Black Hat taught anybody anything, it's that companies have an expectation that their information will be kept confidential by employees and contractors who are required to sign agreements to same.
So, what is the news here? This is OLD news, and it isn't any different than news about some new hole in IE or FF, or Sendmail. The only difference is that if people are stupid then the losing party has grounds to appeal an election. Those of you that think...no wait...those of you that know that there are aliens living among us will also know that our system of laws doesn't work, and the hack will be successful. The rest of us are reasonably sure that things won't make it that far because Boards of Elections don't want the publicity, and Clerks of Elections want to keep their jobs.

Re:Two words do not equal democracy

[Anonymous Coward]

Just because you can exercise free speech does not make a country democratic. Free speech is a right that exists apart from the political system and how it elects officials. Please do not equate the two.

In Iraq, there was a modicum of free speech, but no democracy. In 17th century England, there was also some free speech, but little democracy as we know it.

Just because you can speak against a regime, do not assume that that is democracy in action. Democracy begins with open and free elections that are full of checks and balances against fraud put up by independent auditors, things that the US system does not have at the moment.

Bush may have stolen two elections. By all accounts, the GOP will steal yet another one, if the people do not wake up to the dangers of electronic vote fraud and prevent it from happening again.

Don't vote.

[I'm Spartacus!]

Not only is the system gamed, but voting is an immoral practice. It's fine if you want to choose who rules over you, but you have no right to choose who rules over everyone else, which is what you do when you vote.

People need to get off this idea that democracy is some nobel institution. There's nothing noble about trampling other people's rights simply because more people thought it was a good idea than not.