Cyber-security expert: election machines are definitely susceptible to cyber-attack.

[pnwmom]

http://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/talking-cyber-security-with-a-norwich-expert/Content?oid=3882847

What the cyber-security expert says:

SD: You're assuming the job of Norwich's chief information security officer at a critical moment in history. This is the first time that cyber warfare may have played a role in the outcome of a U.S. presidential election.

GS: I can't speak specifically to that because I don't know who the malicious actors were, and I don't think we [as a country] actually know yet. But you're right, we're starting to use technology more and more, especially in elections. We have the electronic voting machines now that are definitely susceptible to cyber attack. I don't think there's a solution to that right now. And it's going to continue to be a problem simply because, for the manufacturers of these devices, their audience is so small. It's local and state governments, and there's no real incentive for them to build security into them. I'm not picking on any one of them. It's just the way it is.

The cyber-security expert's background:

Though he's a civilian, Silowash has been fighting America's adversaries nonviolently for years. As an information security expert who specializes in digital forensics and investigations, he has protected federal agencies, universities and the private sector against countless cyber attacks launched by hostile nations, crime syndicates and lone hackers. His past employers include Carnegie Mellon University's Software Engineering Institute and the U.S. Department of Justice's National Drug Intelligence Center, the latter of which investigates drug trafficking and international drug cartels.

The 38-year-old native of Greensburg, Pa., is now charged with managing risk, understanding digital vulnerabilities and protecting sensitive data at one of the country's preeminent cyber-security programs. He'll teach at Norwich next fall, too. Recently, Silowash sat down with Seven Days to discuss emerging cyber threats and what keeps him up at night.

[AmericanActivist]

1. We need secure transparent verified voting

in the USA

[pnwmom]

2. Yes, we do.

[Lee-Lee]

3. I know in NC the machines are never hooked to the internet

So I am not sure how vulnerable a device that isn't hooked to the net can be.

The ones we use here also print a paper backup as you vote, so that makes for a nice check. And every precinct randomly audits a certain percentage of the machines against the paper ballots to make sure everything matches. All electronic machines should have that feature.

[pnwmom]

6. The reason I'm skeptical about that is that the Obama administration was saying

that NO systems were hooked to the internet.

But that apparently isn't true in at least one state, that had "optional" cellular connectivity. So how do we know the same voting machines in other states didn't have the same "option"?

[Lee-Lee]

7. I know that in the county I vote in they don't

Because a friend is part of the team that maintains the machines. She gets crazy mad when people talk about hacking the machines because the only way it could be done is someone physically entering the polling place and booking a computer into each one.

[pnwmom]

8. Well, maybe you should show her the information about what they discovered

in Wisconsin.

She shouldn't get "crazy mad" just because she knows her county is doing it right. That doesn't mean EVERY county or state is.

The fact is that they sell these machines with the option for cellular connectivity. It's likely that this option was enabled in more than one state.

[TheFrenchRazor]

10. is your friend a computer expert? it doesn't seem like it, because i have heard of at least a couple

scenarios that would allow relatively easy hacking of machines not connected to the internet.

[TheFrenchRazor]

11. WHEN are those paper receipts EVER recounted totally by hand/eye, and anything done about "discrepan

"discrepancies" in the results. the answer is NEVER. that's why we need a system that is guaranteed to be the most accurate on the FIRST COUNT; this is all paper ballots, all hand counted, all the time. don't say "it's not possible " because obviously it is; some people just don't want it to be done.

[dmosh42]

4. We need to be on a mail in ballot system like Oregon and Washington......

where there is a definite paper trail. These machines are made by Republican
owned companies who are usually crooks in business, so will not be above
making machines that are easily tinkered with.

[pnwmom]

5. And then the paper ballots need to be audited -- a random portion must be checked.

The machines described here were actually optical scanners, with paper ballots. But if no one checks to see if they're accurate, we'll never know.

[TheFrenchRazor]

9. we need all paper ballots, all hand-counted, all the time. nt