[TriLUG] OT: www.hexblog.com - a fix for the WMF vulernability.

[Tanner Lovelace]

On 1/4/06, Rick DeNatale <rick.denatale at gmail.com> wrote:
> No need for this vulnerability, it appears to be a "feature" of
> certain electronic voting machines.
>
> http://www.bbvforums.org/cgi-bin/forums/board-auth.cgi?file=/1954/15595.html
> http://www.bbvforums.org/cgi-bin/forums/board-auth.cgi?file=/1954/15696.html
> http://www.bbvforums.org/cgi-bin/forums/board-auth.cgi?file=/1954/15711.html
>
> Most (probably all) of these devices use non-volatile memory to
> customize them for a particular ballot,  in the Diebold machines (and
> perhaps others) a removable memory device contains both the totals,
> and PROGRAMS which do things like verifying that the vote totals are
> clear before the vote, and audit the totals.  The Diebold machines
> which were tested used standard memory cards for which writers are
> fairly easily obtained. Black Box Voting demonstrated that the
> machines used in Leon County, FL could be hacked to steal an election
> with no special access other than that given to precinct workers.

Rick, you mention "programs", but didn't go any further.  Let me elaborate
on that a bit. :-)

Not only are there "programs" on the Diebold flash cards, but they are
written in an interpreted language called AccuBasic.  This is a serious
problem because the Federal Election Commission standard
specifically stipulates that interpreted code in a voting machine is
absolutely not allowed.  The interesting thing on this is that these
machines were FEDERALLY CERTIFIED!  You've got to wonder just
what that means now that it has been shown that the Dielbold machines
should have in no way, no how been passed.

References:
http://www.bbvforums.org/cgi-bin/forums/board-auth.cgi?file=/1954/15656.html
http://www.sptimes.com/2005/12/16/State/Can_vote_machine_be_h.shtml

http://www.blackboxvoting.org/
http://www.ncvoter.net/

Cheers,
Tanner
--
Tanner Lovelace
clubjuggler at gmail dot com
http://wtl.wayfarer.org/
(fieldless) In fess two roundels in pale, a billet fesswise and an
increscent, all sable.