Hotel Minibar Key Opens Diebold Voting Machines

Billosaur writes, "As if Diebold doesn't have enough to worry about! On the Freedom To Tinker blog, Ed Felten, one of the co-authors of the recent report 'Security Analysis of the Diebold AccuVote-TS Voting Machine', reveals an even more bizarre finding related to the initial report. It turns out that you can gain access to an AccuVote-TS machine using a hotel minibar key. In fact, the key in question is a utilitarian type used to open office furniture, electronic equipment, jukeboxes, and the like. They might as well hand them out like candy."

Comments

Where can I buy one of these voting machines?

[east coast]

I'd like to have access to the minibar.

Moo

[Chacham]

the key in question is a utilitarian type

That's the problem right there. You should never religion and state, it always makes one cross.

super key?

[192939495969798999]

Let me see, this key opens voting machines, mini-bars, jukeboxes, etc? Sounds pretty shiny, where do I get one! I need to add it to my lil' bastard music-copying, alcohol-drinking, electrion-throwing kit.

Better than Penny-Arcade

[TrippTDF]

I just spit chipotle on my desk when I read the headline. Man, that's comedy.

Unfortunatly...

And for our next generation voting consoles...

[jimstapleton]

We will be adding a "change everyone elses votes to" toggle for each voting option!

Re:Why would we expect anything else?

[Kesch]

Or even better, when we see nothing at all and Richard M. Stallman is mysteriously elected President in a write-in landslide.

The more I think about this, the more this seems to be a nice solution. Get a bunch of geeks armed with minibar keys and flash cards. Once Mario and Yoshi are the leading candidates in 14 different states, the public will be sure to take voting security seriously.

Of course you will have to deal with a huge election fiasco along with finding enough people willing to commit election fraud.

Oh noes...

[Skynet]

Better keep Ted Kennedy away from those machines, or there will be vote tampering for sure!

Thirsty after a hard day oppressing the unwashed?.

[wwiiol_toofless]

With the Diebold UberFascer 6000, you can Fix elections AND enjoy a hard-earned single malt scotch!

Re:Why would we expect anything else?

[Anonymous Coward]

All this cuffuffle about voting. We should just leave it for the President to decide. He seems to make good decisions.

Re:Why would we expect anything else?

[RumGunner]

You raise a number of valid points, and while I...

Wait a minute... Did you say lasers !?!

This is not a problem for our Administration

[bill_kress]

Your current administration will have no problem fixing this, it's simply a case of outlawing office equipment/minibar keys.

You shouldn't be locking stuff in your desk anyway, what are you a terrorist?

As for minibar keys--it is the view of our administration that you shouldn't be drinking on business in the first place, it's not good for America! Do you really want to help the terrorists win???

We will ensure all minibars are re-keyed with special locks, the keys to which will be restricted to government employees only (Our administration has proven itself to be Above all Laws but God's, and God never said not to drink, so we therefore deserves access)

When minibar keys are outlawed, only outlaws will have minibar keys--then we know who to detain, harass or shoot (our call).

Re:You would be amazed at what keys will open what

[nizo]

I think the same thing happened the last time I voted.

Re:So wait a minute..

[photozz]

Damn you a_nonamiss (743253)... Damn you to hell...

Fantastic! What a time saver these are!

[CFD339]

These Voting machines actually do what they say they do. They vote for us. Thanks to the advances in voting machine technology, humans will be relieved the burden of actually voting altogether! Voting machines are clearly a terrific labor saving device.

I, for one, welcome our new......oh. Too late.

Please....just give us partiy with Slot Machines

[instantkarma1]

Pretty please...with sugar on top.

Either make voting machines as secure as slot machines, or let mini bar keys open up slot machines.

Either or. I'm not picky.

Re:The lock is even less sophisticated than that.

[myth24601]

I wonder if you can use the voting machine key to get free goodies at the hotel minibar?

Re:Why would we expect anything else?

[Jeremiah Cornelius]

Minibar key?

GOOD!
I need a drink, now.

Maybe not a conspiracy?

[Max Threshold]

Maybe Diebold isn't part of a vast conspiracy. Maybe they're just another sham company selling junk on the strength of their press releases.

Hmmmm... do the same hotel minibar keys work on Diebold ATMs?

Re:Why would we expect anything else?

[Dr Caleb]

"Minibar key?"

No, I'm not the President yet, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night!

It's a start...

[haggie]

If the code can't be open source, at least the key to the machine is....

Re:Paper Ballots

[mrchaotica]

Alright, explain one thing to me: how can a machine-generated paper ballot possibly be harder to count than a human-generated one? If you really wanted, you could have the electronic voting machine generate exactly the samn damn thing!