BBV: NPR is "reporting" all Diebold files (including the source...

[Junkdrawer]

files found by Bev Harris early this year on an anonymous FTP site), were stolen by a hacker who broke into Diebold's site. Audio link to come later.

[rucky]

1. Is this the "Diebold Dare?"

[david_vincent]

2. Hmm, well the Republicans didn't have much of a problem with Linda Tripp

n/t

[Liberal Veteran]

3. Someone needs to ask if they think our democratic process...

...should be trusted to a company that can be so easily hacked.

Spin it right back at them.

[wuushew]

4. That was very good reporting

I would love to see a huge chunk of the DMCA go down in flames as a result of a Pentagon papers rationale for telling the truth.

[Junkdrawer]

5. Look, there were TWO sets of Diebold files....

Set one: Source and data files stored on an Anonymous FTP site. Bev claims to have found these files early Spring 2003.

Set two: Internal memos that Bev claims were given to her by an internal whistle blower. These showed up late Summer 2003 and these files have been the object of the Diebold DMCA filings.

[creativelcro]

8. Hmmm... I am not sure about that

Jim March got a Cease and Desist for hosting the GEMs, not the memos... They are obviously after both sets... -C

"Set one: Source and data files stored on an Anonymous FTP site. Bev claims to have found these files early Spring 2003.

Set two: Internal memos that Bev claims were given to her by an internal whistle blower. These showed up late Summer 2003 and these files have been the object of the Diebold DMCA filings.
"

[Junkdrawer]

12. Yes, but would you characterize the first set as "hacked"? n/t

[Kelvin Mace]

6. I'll have to set that straight.

Checking out the audio replay as soon as NPR posts it.

David Allen
Publisher, CEO, Janitor
Plan Nine Publishing
http://www.plan9.org

[Junkdrawer]

11. Here's the link:

http://www.npr.org/rundowns/segment.php?wfId=1490901

[Junkdrawer]

13. PS: I left a voice message for the Ombusman Jeffrey A. Dvorkin...

If I get a chance, I'll also send an email. BTW: The NYT article got it right, so far only NPR has confused the whole issue.

[althecat]

14. I think it was a mistake.... not spin... just a bit of sloppy journalism.

& he is far from the first person to get the origin of the files wrong. The Washington Post said JHU got them by fluke...

He makes other mistakes too.

At one point he says that Kim Zetter told him that the hacker may have deleted all but the most controversial memo passages.. (Yeah Right!!!)

I think we have a bit of a pillock in our case.

[DBoon]

7. I now know how the 2004 election will turn

Kevin Mitnick president by a landslide!

[lysergik]

18. I'd rather have Mitnick over Shrub. n/t

[althecat]

9. As has been reported a million times the files were on an open FTP site..

.. these guys spin more ways than a time machine!

The fact they were on an open FTP site has never been denied. Till now... plus the memos themselves talk about the open FTP site. Rob Behler talks about the open FTP site....

I find this very hard to beleive...

Bizarrro

[LoneStarLiberal]

10. It's Easy To Spin Out Of This If You're Diebold

Unfortunately when it comes to technical issues like how insecure proprietary voting software (Diebold and Sequoia specifically) is, the discussion of the details is simply over the heads of most people.

It's easy to spin your way out of a conundrum when the very people who should be outraged can't grasp the basics of the situation.

Just start mumbling more stuff about FTP, Access database templates, and 802.11 wireless networking, and you'll loose all save the computing and information security community in no time flat.

Moving on...

[nostamj]

15. a banner for Diebold...

[srubick]

16. NPR is not reporting all files were stolen

They clearly stated that Diebold claimed they were stolen and concluded by saying the Diebold case is very weak.
It is clearly a good thing the issue is getting out!

[althecat]

17. What they said was that Diebold said the files were stolen....

... and immediately after said they were given to a group of university professors for examination. There is a clear implication that the files examined by Hopkins Heroes were therefore stolen.

And this is not correct.

The files given to the University professors - they had a clip from Dan Wallach - came from an open FTP site ran by Diebold.

The point is that it was Diebold's negligent security led to all this controversy. Not the work of an enterprising hacker. And there is an important difference in the two.

[Junkdrawer]

19. The intro was accurate, BUT Rick Karr's report was clearly NOT...

he clearly lumps both sets of Diebold files together and claims that "apparently a hacker obtained two CDs worth of memos and source files and made them available to journalists, students and activists." He then goes on to say the Johns Hopkins group analyzed what the “hackers” obtained for security flaws. Nowhere does Rick Karr state that this was Diebold’s assertion.

[hunter]

20. This is NOT a story about "hackers"

The "Black Box Voting" machine makers would LOVE to have it spun that way.

Evil hackers are out to steal your vote!

Hell, we all know that Bill Gates Himself, His Royal Software Highness and Capitalist, in His great kingdom of Microsoft, has problems with hackers. So what's a little county election official to do?

Oh, oh, I know! Download the latest patch from Diebold!

This is not the sort of behavior we want to encourage in our election officials.

At this point I've talked to many people whose eyes glaze over as soon as I start talking initials... DRE, BBV, etc., etc.

"Ummmmm," they groan, "you are confusing me... Do not speak of Flash Memory."

Well maybe those are not their exact words, but that's what they mean.

Okay folks, here's what I know. The first set of Diebold files was kicking around on the internet long before Bev Harris first saw them. And then Bev did find them and she brought them to DU.

Those are very brave folks who volunteer to be the lightening rods.

June 29, 2003 Bev said...

"I will post at least one thread a day on DU. If for some reason you don't see me posting any more, that is a bad sign.

"There are others working on this as well. I will check in with each of them daily, and we'll make sure no one disappears."

I myself did the dance in the black internet magic and with the vampires that night, and I did not consider Bev's words hyperbole. I still don't. It is a small measure of our success that we can still write about this, and hear about this, in a very twisted way, on FOX and NPR.

Okay, yes, you all know that IMHO FOX is the official news source for those of below average intelligence, and NPR is the official news source for those above average intelligence... but they both suck in a vampire kind of way. Call Buffy now!

So, since she volunteered to be that lightening rod, somebody sent Bev, and others, those evil internal Diebold emails.

Garlic, silver crosses and bullets, mirrors, wooden stakes, Bibles, Holy Water, whatever it takes, it is time to see this nasty business done.


:kick:

[althecat]

21. my my.... this is getting rather dramatic

*** plays a spooky string accompaniment to Hunter's soliloquy ***