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Bipartisan US Election Group Issues Security Tips (reuters.com)
An anonymous reader quotes Reuters:
A bipartisan Harvard University project aimed at protecting elections from hacking and propaganda will release its first set of recommendations today on how U.S. elections can be defended from hacking attacks. The 27-page guidebook calls for campaign leaders to emphasize security from the start and insist on practices such as two-factor authentication for access to email and documents and fully encrypted messaging via services including Signal and Wickr. The guidelines are intended to reduce risks in low-budget local races as well as the high-stakes Congressional midterm contests next year.
Though most of the suggestions cost little or nothing to implement and will strike security professionals as common sense, notorious attacks including the leak of the emails of Hillary Clinton's campaign chair, John Podesta, have succeeded because basic security practices were not followed... "We heard from campaigns that there is nothing like this that exists," said Debora Plunkett, a 31-year veteran of the National Security Agency who joined the Belfer Center this year. "We had security experts who understood security and election experts who understood campaigns, and both sides were eager to learn how the other part worked."
The group includes "top security experts" from both Google and Facebook.
Though most of the suggestions cost little or nothing to implement and will strike security professionals as common sense, notorious attacks including the leak of the emails of Hillary Clinton's campaign chair, John Podesta, have succeeded because basic security practices were not followed... "We heard from campaigns that there is nothing like this that exists," said Debora Plunkett, a 31-year veteran of the National Security Agency who joined the Belfer Center this year. "We had security experts who understood security and election experts who understood campaigns, and both sides were eager to learn how the other part worked."
The group includes "top security experts" from both Google and Facebook.
notorious attacks including the leak of the emails of Hillary Clinton's campaign chair, John Podesta
Someone who wants to be one of the most powerful persons in the world falling for a simple phishing attempt is now a "notorious attack".
If someone on your company network did that, you'd call him a foolish idiot and take away his computer.
Between the meandering redistricting and Fox News - that goes out of its way to misinform their viewers - who needs foreign hacking?
And an electorate that refuses to actually learn the issues but instead listens to only what it wants to hear, we are just headed towards an "Idiocracy".
The election of a reality TV show host is the start. Trump just shows how stupid we've become as a society.
Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho is coming.
So which was it ? Because it seems to be a DNC thing to me. Which makes sense considering the DNC internal leak and Podesta phishing, wouldn't want your voters to know you're colluding with CNN for debate questions and rigging your primary.
"Not to mention all the idiots who use words like boxen."
Anonymous Coward on Monday August 04, @06:49PM
Look at how Canadian elections are handled. You can't hack paper ballots via viruses or computer networks.
#DeleteFacebook
If they don't recommend photo ID for voters the whole thing is worthless. There is voter fraud on both sides of the political spectrum and the arguments against voter ID are actually quite racist.
sudo mod me up
Seems like it should be #1 to protect elections.
Non-whites can't be expected to be able to get an ID, you RAAACIST prick!
Heaven forbid the US should actually follow the UN's standard for free and fair elections:
4. The Rights and Responsibilities of States
Ensure the integrity of the ballot through appropriate measures to prevent multiple voting or voting by those not entitled thereto;
No, because stuffing meatbags into polling booths is the least effective, most costly and the most easily detected form of electoral fraud. Might as well be defending democracy from unicorns.
This is my signature. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
1. "Stop breaking the law, asshole!"
2. Instant Runoff Voting
3. Blockchains
4. Purging instead of promoting the worst people within a party
5. Hiring security professionals based on qualification, not on their connections to your bribery machines.
But I suspect that none of these will be implemented because they aren't interested in secure elections, just holding power.
This is my signature. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
that the security issues in our election system are intentional, so any 'tips' are really just pissing in the wind. Our elections are rigged, I'll leave it as an exercise for the reader on who and why. But ask yourself who's running our government and who as been for most of the last 30 years.
Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
If those that demand no Voter Identification were concerned for the poor, they'd facilitate the acquisition of ID, not seek ways to avoid it. After all, what's the best job you ever had where you didn't need to identify yourself? I'm just confused how anyone buys beer or cold medicine without an ID. WTF?
Only ONE party disapproves of measures to make our elections secure. Voter ID is NOT a function of America's "racist past" EVERY COUNTRY THAT'S not a dictatorship has some form of assuring that the person voting is entitled to. EVERY COUNTRY.
California liberals allege voter fraud, demand voter ID. LOL. Democrats think voter identification laws are important for their party elections, but think they're not important when it comes to our elections.
Maxine Waters, an advocate against voter ID, requires an ID to attend her town hall meeting.
Hillary Clinton's Book Tour. Valid Photo ID Required. Wait, isn't this suppressing minority turnout? Why's it racist when we do it in our super-important elections, but Hillary does it for her book-signing and suddenly it's not racist? Someone want to take a stab at this one?
Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
Hey dumb shit, what you are wanting is VOTER ROLLS, not voter ID. If you want, i can explain the math, or you can keep your /. card by understanding that the chances of getting caught increases exponentially as more and more fraudulent votes are cast.
This is my signature. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
No, it's IOS 'smart punctuation' unicode.
Think of it as a single earring on the right side.
John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
They closed the entire DMV for several years in order to prevent people from acquiring an ID? The freaking blog you pointed to is a lie, there are a lot of other things going on into making those decisions, you can get an ID at the post office, from the DMV through the mail or online. You need an ID to buy booze, medicine and cigarettes, you're saying no black person buys booze, medicine or cigarettes?
If you close 31 DMV offices you do not "save only $100,000" ... argh, there is just so much wrong with this that it's not even worth pointing out. If it isn't obvious that this is partisan bullshit grasping at straws to make a point then you're dumber than you realize..
Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
They're Bajorans?
#DeleteFacebook
Their political partisanship and profit motive should call into question any contributions they make.
You and your transparent attempts at reverse-trolling can fuck right off.
(And Melania is from Slovenia, not Russia.)
Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
They closed the entire DMV for several years in order to prevent people from acquiring an ID?
No, they focused heavily on the offices that minorities could conveniently use, which was kinda revealing.
The freaking blog you pointed to is a lie,
Identify one falsehood in it. Go ahead.
there are a lot of other things going on into making those decisions, you can get an ID at the post office, from the DMV through the mail or online.
Yes, racists are practiced at finding excuses for their behavior, literacy tests and poll taxes were usually defended under those same terms. Including you know, misinforming the public about the situation.
But hey, if you want the state to mail out ID to everybody, go ahead and propose it.
You need an ID to buy booze, medicine and cigarettes, you're saying no black person buys booze, medicine or cigarettes?
Actually, I've found that sales clerks will rarely bother me about booze or cigarettes even if they are supposed to get ID, but I understand some people do have complaints about that process, medicine is somewhat different, but then, there are problems with pharmacists denying people's prescriptions. And don't even get my mother started on the way they hassled her about her diabetic testing strips refill, then tried to bill her after they FAILED to give her the number of strips she needed the first time when she asked for more. She gets quite irate at them.
If you close 31 DMV offices you do not "save only $100,000" ... argh, there is just so much wrong with this that it's not even worth pointing out. If it isn't obvious that this is partisan bullshit grasping at straws to make a point then you're dumber than you realize..
Sure man, you come right after an accusation that relied on false counter cries of racism and bigotry to ignore actual racism and bigotry, and you think it's other people who are full of partisan bullshit.
Sorry man, there's a reason it keeps being revealed.
And it gets worse as apparently it was Bentley's paramour behind it.
Crickets, eh? Interesting sound they make.
Just disallow the GOP from winning elections. After all, none of this was ANY concern before Trump was elected, in fact Obama had stated numerous times that the election couldn't be hacked, that it was fair, that voter id wouldn't help, there is absolutely nothing wrong with how votes happen, etc.
This week we are being told that even if Judge Moore WINS his election in Alabama, he will not be seated as a Senator because the Senate does not allow sexual molesters to be members. He was never convicted nor admitted to it, however Franken is up to 4 admitted cases and not a word about him being a Senator.
It seems the rules are just going to be written so GOP is not allowed to win no matter what. If the rules would prevent a DNC member, they will be ignored.
Fuck you if you vote GOP, is the clear message I get from the DNC and DC in general these days.
Funny. When Obama is in office "Stock Market is a fraud" "Unemployment numbers are a lie"
When Trump gets elected "Stock market baby" "Unemployment record low".
People think "Trump is doing well, market hit a new high of 23k". But no one said anything when it hit 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22 under Obama...
But no one said anything when it hit 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22 under Obama...
Maybe because the Dow didn't hit 20k until after Obama left office? Not that I'm a fan of the stock market, its nothing without the Federal Reserve printing trillions out of thin air.
As long as computers are involved in the tabulation or transmission of election results the concept of secure elections is laughable.
Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of congress. But then I repeat myself. -- Mark Twain
Someone who has not spoken down to and lectured large parts of the USA would be a good start.
A person who can talk and keep talking to most average people in their state and all over the USA.
Not have a political party machine that induces US campaign staff and party workers to walk out with lots of internal party documents and give them to the US media.
Support charming, charismatic, honorable, ethical political leadership.
The Amercian voting public will find out what their political leadership like to do and who they are during the election cycle.
Dont run politicians with decades of complex issues and not expect the voting public to notice.
Find a candidate who can actually give a long speech all over their state or federally.
A political party that can not select good leadership internally and win a local election is not a sign of another skilled nation.
Domestic incompetence and party arrogance is the "result" of that party and its failed politics.
Have a better understanding of the US public and try to actually win an election.
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
A few things bother me in the recommendations (not to say that they are not sensible, just that the need for them annoys me):
- Policy of email deletion, etc. I know I’m naïve (and perhaps unreasonable), but I feel that political campaigns should have nothing to hide. It would be more sensible (I feel) to train people to be fair, courteous, clear, unambiguous, etc., rather than training them to keep their dirty laundry secure or promptly eliminated. Even when they mention “the theft of donor data”, I feel queasy: certainly, they don’t want credit card information to be stolen, but why would they keep that in the first place? On the other hand, I am not convinced that donor identities and amounts paid ought to remain secret, especially those above a rather small amount.
- Having a damage-control policy. Same issue. A political campaign should have such a crystal-clear (and truthful) message, inside-out, that no “damaging revelations” should be possible/credible.
- Only trusting the cloud (i.e., only the pros can secure data, don’t try this at home): I imagine that this is a stark symptom of how unnecessarily difficult it is to properly set up (and maintain) server software. It really shouldn’t be, and fixing that problem should be a priority much higher than improving voice-controlled personal assistants or cloud-connected thermostats. Personal computing and the Internet were not intended to be a return to 1970s mainframes and I.T. rooms. I feel that the democratisation of information processing (free exchange, publishing, etc.) requires the ability to locally store, process and serve the data. Of course, having Google staff contribute to the paper may have had something to do with the recommendations...
Besides, those recommendations hardly seem to be specific to political campaigns. They would probably apply just as well to any business (at least, small- to medium-size) or organisation. In that case, weren’t there good cybersecurity guidelines available already?
https://www.belfercenter.org/c...
That's completely ridiculous, short-sighted crap. We're all supposed to trust our entire voting system to a tiny handful of companies? "We're completely invulnerable to any sort of subversion, because Technology. Trust us!"
From "propaganda"? WTF does that mean, in this context?
Foreign propaganda rather than domestic propaganda, I would assume. Maybe I'll RTFA to confirm/correct that.
There's no time like the present. Well, the past used to be.