#39 – Computerized Voting Machines are Safe and Secure. Period.


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EFFECTED USERS: Every breathing American.

Hair of fire 5 of 5

SUMMARY: Election is here – lots to consider.  One thing you should not worry about is the voting machine itself

 

In August, 2020, Wired Magazine reporter Lily Hay Newman wrote this in her article entitled: Voting Machine Makers Are Finally Playing Nice With Hackers

For years, voting machines were a black box, even as more and more states replaced old analog marking systems with computerized options. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act even made it illegal for security researchers to probe voting machines for potential vulnerabilities, which only changed in 2016 with a DMCA exception for voting machine security research.

That paved the way for the program known as the Voting Village, which launched in 2017 as a way for researchers to get their hands on voting machines, likely for the first time, and start hacking them. Part of the Defcon security conference, the Voting Village has also served as a sort of town hall for debate and innovation in voting security. In 2018, ES&S sent a letter to customers downplaying the importance of the Voting Village and its findings: “Attendees will absolutely access some voting systems internal components because they will have full and unfettered access to a unit without the advantage of trained poll workers, locks, tamper-evident seals, passwords, and other security measures that are in place in an actual voting situation.”

Here with me to talk about this today is Jonathan Couch (Kooch).

Jonathan Couch is SVP of Strategy of ThreatQuotient, and has over 20 years of experience in information security, information warfare and intelligence collection. He has served in the Air Force at the NSA, Air Force Information Warfare Center, and various commercial organizations.

Welcome Jonathan!

Q: What are the different approaches to attacking election results through election machines?

  1. Mass Influence by an adversary.
  2. Local Influence: (Not including Social Media), or a person physically local attack
  3. Supply chain attack.

Things that prevent mass hacking: No internet connection

Statistical check

It would take an army attackjing multiple machines in multiple counties.

Comparing voting security to nuclear security: high tech (technology) to low tech (guards and fences)

Website: www.threatq.com

Twitter: @ThreatQuotient

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David W. Schropfer

David W. Schropfer is a technology executive, author, and speaker with deep expertise in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing. He currently serves as Executive Vice President of Operations at DomainSkate, where he leads growth for an AI-driven cybersecurity threat intelligence platform. As host of the DIY Cyber Guy podcast, David has conducted hundreds of interviews with global experts, making complex topics like ransomware, AI, and quantum risk accessible to business leaders and consumers. He has also moderated panels and delivered keynotes at major industry events, known for translating emerging technologies into actionable insights. David’s entrepreneurial track record includes founding AnchorID (SAFE), a patented zero-trust mobile security platform. He previously launched one of the first SaaS cloud products at SoftZoo.com, grew global telecom revenue at IDT, and advised Fortune 500 companies on mobile commerce and payments with The Luciano Group. He is the author of several books, including Digital Habits and The SmartPhone Wallet, which became an Amazon #1 bestseller in its category. David holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Miami and a Bachelor of Arts from Boston College.

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