Bruce Schneier: Our Election Systems Must Be Secured If We Want To Stop Foreign Hackers (schneier.com)

Okian Warrior writes: Bruce Schneier notes that state actors are hacking our political system computers, intending to influence the results. For example, U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia was behind the release of DNC emails before the party convention, and WikiLeaks is promising more leaked dirt on Hillary Clinton. He points out, quite rightly, that the U.S. needs to secure its electronic voting machines, and we need to do it in a hurry lest outside interests hack the results. From the article: "Over the years, more and more states have moved to electronic voting machines and have flirted with internet voting. These systems are insecure and vulnerable to attack. But while computer security experts like me have sounded the alarm for many years, states have largely ignored the threat, and the machine manufacturers have thrown up enough obfuscating babble that election officials are largely mollified. We no longer have time for that. We must ignore the machine manufacturers' spurious claims of security, create tiger teams to test the machines' and systems' resistance to attack, drastically increase their cyber-defenses and take them offline if we can't guarantee their security online."

Comments

Paper ballots in Canada

[diodeus]

In Canada we use standardized paper ballots across the nation. They're counted manually in each poll.

No, vague DNC spin, not US intelligence agencies

[raymorris]

> For example, U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia was behind the release of DNC emails before the party convention

Citation sorely needed. The DNC has suggested it's possible Russia was involved. A small security company called ThreatConnect pointed out that one of the tools used had some Russian language strings, meaning that the attacker used a tool which was written by someone who spoke Russian.

"US intelligence agencies" have announced no conclusions and there is scant evidence that "Russia", the Russian government, was involved.

Re:Better idea

[Anonymous Coward]

Moving everything to the smartphone is the new method to force people into carrying a tracking device.

Re:Better idea

[DarkOx]

The secret ballot is the only effective control anyone has come up with to prevent vote selling or exchanging.

If you can't prove how you voted its difficult to sell you vote because nobody will trust you. Similarly its difficult for someone to coerce your vote because they can't control you while you are in the booth, and have only your word you did what you were 'supposed' to.

This is why I am ardently opposed to all these absentee ballot early voting measures. Absentee ballots should be for people who can't be present at the polling place because they are away or infirm only. They should be rejected unless they carry a post mark from at least 20mi from your polling place or are accompanied by a signed statement on pain of prejury that you were physical unable to be present for medical reason (yours or someone you were caring for).

What we should to make sure everyone can vote is split it over two days, and bar exit polling. Additionally make it a holiday and require all employers to make a 1/2 day of vacation available for all employees on one of the two election days, no exceptions.