E******n systems expert demonstrates how easy it is to HACK v****g machine USING ONLY A PEN
By Arsenio Toledo // Jan 23, 2024
An e******n technology expert successfully hacked into a D******n V****g Systems electronic v****g machine using only a pen.
This happened during a trial that began on Jan. 9 over a constitutional challenge to Georgia's e******n system. This trial is arguing for United States District Judge Amy Totenberg of the Northern District of Georgia to compel the state to stop using the D******n V****g Systems touchscreen v****g machines used by nearly every in-person v**er statewide.
On Friday, Jan. 19, in the latest development of the case in a federal court in Atlanta, J. Alex Halderman, a professor of computer science and engineering at the University of Michigan, demonstrated to Totenberg how he could hack into a D******n v****g machine to change the tabulation using only a pen. (Related: EXPLOSIVE: Halderman report in Georgia confirms V**ES CAN BE ALTERED through defective D******n v****g machines – Raffensperger hid this from public – Garland Favorito weighs in.)
In a theoretical e******n between Founding Father President George Washington and American Revolutionary War general-turned-t*****r Benedict Arnold, Halderman was able to flip the winner and rig the machine to print out as many b****ts as he wanted.
All Halderman needed was a pen to reach a button inside the touchscreen of the v****g machines and a f**e $10 v**er card he had programmed or a $100 USB device that he plugged into a cord connected to the v****g machine's printer. Once he obtained access, Halderman was able to easily rewrite the touchscreen's code."All of these things worry me – just how easy these machines would be to tamper with. It's so far from a secure system," testified Halderman. "There are all kinds of politically motivated actors that would be eager to affect results."
Halderman noted that he discovered these vulnerabilities after being given an e******n machine from Fulton County. He noted that a wrongdoer, hidden behind a privacy screen at a v****g precinct, would almost certainly not be caught by e******n workers. Changing a machine's programming would take seconds or minutes and would cause "chaos" in a major e******n and make it difficult for v****g precincts to determine which b****ts are legitimate or not.
A potential criminal doesn't need to open up the core of a v****g machine or remove any security seals to gain "superuser" access to a touchscreen and change its programming.
While Halderman did note that the vulnerabilities would only affect one v****g machine at a time, he warned that many more v**es could be changed if illicit elements within society were able to gain access to e******n management servers overseen by state and county e******n officials.
Trial in Georgia arguing for scrapping v****g machines in favor of paper b****ts
Halderman, as an expert witness for the plaintiffs, had written a lengthy report identifying the many vulnerabilities found in Georgia's electronic v****g machines. The Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has agreed with Halderman's report, warning jurisdictions to quickly mitigate all vulnerabilities they find with the use of D******n's v****g machines.
The ongoing trial in Georgia is arguing for most v**ers in the state to fill out hand-marked paper b****ts and the touchscreen v****g machines to only be used at polling places for people with disabilities. Reverting to paper b****ts, the plaintiffs argue, would ensure v**er intent is accurately captured and that meaningful audits can be done.
"My v**e should be counted as cast. My particular point of view should be heard," said Jeff Schoenberg, a member of an e******n integrity organization in Georgia. He contended that D******n's v****g systems are exceptionally vulnerable to attack and have operational issues that could cost v**ers their right to cast a v**e and have it accurately counted.
Georgia's touchscreen electronic v****g machines print out b****ts with a human-readable summary of v**ers' se******ns and a QR code that a scanner reads to count the v**es. Schoenberg said there is no way for v**ers in the state to verify that the b****ts accurately reflect their se******ns.
Robert McGuire, an attorney for the plaintiffs and representing the Coalition for Good Governance, an advocacy organization for e******n integrity, said Totenberg's decision is a difficult one but added that the current system is "profoundly insecure, unreliable and untrustworthy" and that if concerns with the D******n machines are not addressed, "a disaster is waiting to happen in 2024."
Learn more about the ongoing battle against v****g fraud and e******n integrity in the United States at V**eFraud.news.
https://www.newstarget.com/2024-01-23-e******n-expert-hacks-v****g-machine-using-pen.html