Evaluating the Security of Electronic Voting Systems
Are your votes really counted?

Electronic voting systems have been introduced to improve the voting process. Since their inception, they have been controversial, because both the technologists and the general public realized that they were losing direct control over an important part of the voting process: counting the votes.

A quote attributed to Stalin says: "Those who cast the votes decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything." It is clear that voting systems represent a critical component of a democracy. Although the consequences of a malfunctioning electronic voting system are not as readily apparent as those for air traffic control or nuclear power plant control systems, they are just as important, because the well-being of a society depends on them.

While most critical systems are continuously scrutinized and evaluated for safety and correctness, electronic voting systems are not subject to the same level of scrutiny. A number of recent studies have shown that most (if not all) of the electronic voting systems being used today are fatally flawed, and that their quality does not match the importance of the task that they are supposed to carry out.

In the Summer of 2007, the Security Group of UCSB participated in the Top-To-Bottom Review (TTBR) of the electronic voting systems used in California. This was a first-of-its-kind review, where the evaluators had unprecedented access to the systems' source code, hardware, and associated documentation.

The Report
Our team focused on the security analysis of the Sequoia voting system. Our public report can be found here (a local copy can be found here). We found a number of major flaws that can be exploited to compromise the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of the voting process.

In particular, we developed a virus-like software that can spread across the voting system, modifying the firmware of the voting machines. The modified firmware is able to steal votes even in the presence of a Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT).

The Paper
We wrote a paper that describes our methodology and our findings:

Are Your Votes Really Counted? Testing the Security of Real-world Electronic Voting Systems, D. Balzarotti, G. Banks, M. Cova, V. Felmetsger, R. Kemmerer, W. Robertson, F. Valeur, and G. Vigna, in Proceedings of the International Symposium on Software Testing and Analysis, Seattle, WA July 2008.
[PDF]

The Movie
We also prepared a movie that shows how the virus-like attack would be carried out, and exemplifies the different scenarios that our malicious firmware would exploit.

The video shows how one can use a simple USB key to infect the laptop used to prepare the cards that initialize the various voting devices. As a result, the cards are loaded with a malicious software component.

When a card is inserted in a voting terminal, the malicious software exploits a vulnerability in the terminal loading procedure and installs a modified firmware, effectively "brainwashing" the terminal.

Later, when the terminal is used by the voters to cast their votes, the firmware uses a number of different techniques to modify the contents of the ballots being cast.

The movie also shows that the physical security measures being used to limit access to essential parts of the voting systems are ineffective.

The movie cannot be downloaded from this page anymore, because after we were featured on Slashdot the Department web server maxed out.

However somebody uploaded the video on YouTube.

Part 1.

Part 2.

The People must carry on...

Conference To Shape Plans For Obtaining Prosecutions of High-Level U.S. War Criminals

A conference on plans to bring high-level American war criminals to justice will be streamed live from Andover, Mass., September 13-14.

The conference has attracted eminent national and international legal authorities who will speak about the legal grounds for seeking prosecution of top administration officials, including George Bush, who appear to be guilty of war crimes.

The URL address to view the conference live or to view it afterwards from the archives is:

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/warcrimesconference

“All viewers need to do to follow the proceedings is to visit the Web address and they can watch everything,” said the conference’s convener, Lawrence Velvel, a prominent legal educator.

Viewing hours will be from 9 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. Eastern Standard Time(EST) on Saturday, September 13, and from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (EST) on Sunday, September 14.

In the tradition of Justice Robert H. Jackson, America’s Chief Prosecutor at the Nuremburg War Crimes Trials after World War II, the Conference’s purpose is “to promote efforts to hold culpable officials accountable in courts of law,” said Velvel.

“Otherwise, the future could be threatened by additional examples of Executive lawlessness by leaders who need fear no personal consequences” for their actions, leading to “the possibility of more Viet Nams, and more Iraqs,” he added.

Attendees will hear from prominent authorities on international law, criminal prosecutions, and constitutional law who are determined to give meaning to Justice Jackson’s words: “The common sense of mankind demands that law shall not stop with the punishment of petty crimes by little people. It must also reach men who possess themselves of great power and make deliberate and concerted use of it to set in motion evils which leave no home in the world untouched.”

Topics to be discussed, include:

# What international and domestic crimes were committed, which facts show crimes under which laws, and what punishments are possible.

# Which high level Executive officials -- and Federal judges and legislators as well, if any -- are chargeable with crimes.

# Which international tribunals, foreign tribunals and domestic tribunals (if any) can be used and how to begin cases and/or obtain prosecutions before them.

# The possibility of establishing a Chief Prosecutor’s Office such as the one at Nuremburg.

# An examination of cases already brought and their outcomes.

# Creating an umbrella Coordinating Committee with representatives from the increasing number of organizations involved in war crimes cases.

# Creating a Center to keep track of and organize compilations of relevant briefs, articles, books, opinions, and facts, etc., on war crimes and prosecutions of war criminals.
(continued)

Congressman,
Who shall the People hold accountable for the failure of Congress and their inability to say...
..."NO MORE!"

Lock step IS NOT an excuse, but instead the behavior exhibited by you.

The People deserve to have a Congress worthy of their Representation... NO?
Is this what you have delivered to your Constituents... worthy Representation?

I see putting Congressman McDermott on NOTICE is effective! To My Representative I have petitioned, lobbied at his office, written letters and what have I received in return has been but GARBAGE! THIS is but a small step. His Constituents await his own Articles of Impeachment against the criminals.

####

Mr. Speaker:

For the last two years I've struggled with the issue of whether the House should impeach a sitting President. Next to declaring war, impeachment is the gravest matter the House of Representatives must consider. I fully understand the gut-wrenching consequences such a national debate could precipitate. Yet, there is one fact we cannot overlook or escape: America cannot regain its moral leadership in the world if America cannot hold its leaders accountable for their actions at home.

The allegations that would warrant impeachment keep growing. They have been illuminated in recent books including The Way of the World by Ron Suskind, the book by Vincent Bugliosi, and the new book by Bob Woodward, The War Within.

Over five years ago, I tried to place asterisks in the Congressional Record next to the statements about Iraq the President made to Congress. I was attacked for saying the President would mislead us into the war, but the American people ultimately learned the truth.

There seems to be no end to the allegations and we have a responsibility to investigate their authenticity. That's why I'm signing onto a resolution to consider impeachment of the President. Without accountability, a democracy will fail. I yield back.

####
(emphasis mine)

Lame Democrats enabled the crimes in the first place... REMEMBER THAT! Accomplice!
How can anyone, in good consciousness, support criminal enablers...?

Your constituients should be asking the same.

Lord have Mercy on America for She does not deserve what you have wrought Her... what with all your silence and complacency amounts to nothing but tacit permissiveness.

ON YOUR WATCH, WAR CRIMES WERE COMMITTED...
... YET YOU YIELDED TO SIMPLE PEER PRESSURE TO THE FAVOR OF THE CRIMINALS.

How does your inaction serve the dead... The maimed... The wounded... Those left homeless... Those tortured... Those renditioned... Those lives shattered... ?

What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of Totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy.
Mohandas Gandhi

Without accountability, a democracy will fail!
click here

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You can lead a republican to the truth, but you can't make him think it...

Finally! Congress is back from va-cay, and they've got lots of work to do before years end and House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) is wasting no time.

Tomorrow morning, the Committee is scheduled to consider a citation for contempt for Attorney General Michael Mukasey for his failure to supply documents in accordance with the subpoena issued in late June.

The meeting is set to start at 10:15 EST. We'll be sure to keep you updated on what happens.

HJC to consider Contempt Citation

NOTE TO REPRESENTATIVE CONYERS:

In this diary Michigan Messenger writes:
"Lose your house, lose your vote--the latest incursion against voters' rights":

Want to make sure this story gets broad coverage across the internet, because this could happen in other states and particularly in swing states.

MI Messenger goes on to quote this article

"Michigan Republicans plan to foreclose African American voters

"...The chairman of the Republican Party in Macomb County Michigan, a key swing county in a key swing state, is planning to use a list of foreclosed homes to block people from voting in the upcoming election as part of the state GOP’s effort to challenge some voters on Election Day.

"We will have a list of foreclosed homes and will make sure people aren’t voting from those addresses," party chairman James Carabelli told Michigan Messenger in a telephone interview earlier this week. He said the local party wanted to make sure that proper electoral procedures were followed..."

The Republicans will do anything--anything: Lie, cheat, break the Commandments they claim to hold dear, such as: "Thou Shat not Bear False Witness Against Thy Neighbor";--anything to win elections and hold on to power. Nothing is too low or too evil for them.

Recently my wife and I each received notification that a registered letter was sent to our house, but not delivered because we weren't home. It was from the bank so I made my late payment and waited patiently for the mailman, but the letter never came back.

This week, after reading about attempts to discount votes because registered letters were returned "undeliverable", I thought about the registered letter from the bank. Usually with registered letters, they try to deliver them at least twice. This time it was a one time shot.

I mentioned to my wife that we may want to register again because of the caging issue, and she looked at me like I just ate a bug. Those things don't happen in her world.

I'll be re-registering anyways...just in case.

Today while reading online local stories, I came across an article about the games already being played by election officials in the primaries. Poll tax anyone?

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BLACK BROOK, N.Y. -- Some North Country voters scrambled to cast their ballots after discovering their polling place wasn't open.

The town of Black Brook used to have three voting districts, but for Tuesday's primary election, the Clinton County Board of Elections combined the districts into one location.

Some voters said it just didn't work and said they were confused after elections officials sent them to wrong polling place, NewsChannel 5's Heather van Arsdel reported.

"I came here to vote in the primary elections (and) there's no voting machine here," said Jason Sedgwick, a voter.

Sedgwick says he was just doing what he was told.

"I received (a notice) from the Clinton County Board of Elections a couple weeks back. They told me to come here to Douglas's Restaurant on Silver Lake Road. So, this is where I showed up to vote but there's no voting machine," Sedgwick said.

Some elections officials said they were upset after the board closed two polling districts, making the main polling location Ausable Forks, which is located almost 20 minutes away. Some said voters are not willing to drive that far to cast their ballots.

"People with fixed incomes are not going to drive that far to vote, so they are going to lose their votes," said Leroy Douglas, a voter.

"To make them drive long distances to vote, it really discriminates against people that live in rural communities," Black Brook Councilman Howard Aubin said.

Clinton County Board of Elections Democratic Commissioner John Brunell said Black Brook is not being singled out and that several of Clinton County's districts were combined in an effort to save money.

"It saves money for all the taxpayers because we don't need two inspectors for each district on both sides plus all the custodial work to set up all the machines," Brunell said.

Brunell admitted there was a problem, saying the cards that the county sent to voters were confusing. Brunell said the dates for the primary printed on the cards were correct, but the polling place locations printed on the cards are for the November general election.

"It said Sept 9. Yeah, it confused some people. I think we'll have to change the wording," Brunell said.

The commissioner's sentiment left little comfort for Sedgwick, who said he'll be back to cast his ballot for the general election -- but on Tuesday, he didn't have a voice in the process.

"I'm going to go home and I'm not going to drive the extra mileage to go to Ausable Forks to vote. So, I guess I won't be able to afford to cast my vote," Sedgwick said.

Officials suggest an absentee ballot for those who can't make it to the polls this November. Brunell also said that voters who need a ride to the polls can call the Clinton County Board of Elections for help.

Clinton County Board of Elections: 518-565-4740

$2.3 TRILLION dollars gone missing from the DOD...

The War on Waste

(CBS) On Sept. 10, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld declared war. Not on foreign terrorists, "the adversary's closer to home. It's the Pentagon bureaucracy," he said.

He said money wasted by the military poses a serious threat.

"In fact, it could be said it's a matter of life and death," he said.

Rumsfeld promised change but the next day – Sept. 11-- the world changed and in the rush to fund the war on terrorism, the war on waste seems to have been forgotten.

Just last week President Bush announced, "my 2003 budget calls for more than $48 billion in new defense spending."

More money for the Pentagon, CBS News Correspondent Vince Gonzales reports, while its own auditors admit the military cannot account for 25 percent of what it spends.

"According to some estimates we cannot track $2.3 trillion in transactions," Rumsfeld admitted.

$2.3 trillion — that's $8,000 for every man, woman and child in America. To understand how the Pentagon can lose track of trillions, consider the case of one military accountant who tried to find out what happened to a mere $300 million.

"We know it's gone. But we don't know what they spent it on," said Jim Minnery, Defense Finance and Accounting Service.
(continued)

The next day, amnesia struck...

... Brought on by the Shock and Awe of terrorism at home, we forgot about the souls that died that day in favor of searching for an enemy that lurked in the shadows...

Reflections on 9-11
By Cindy Sheehan

10/09/08 "ICH " -- - The 7th anniversary of September 11, 2001 is approaching and it seems like a good time to reflect on what our nation has lost since that tragic day and what we can do to go forward.

I do not think that anyone alive on that day will forget the shock that struck our nation when the symbols of US capitalism and militarism were struck out of the clear blue sky. I was in panic mode for a few days, because I did not hear from Casey who was stationed at Ft. Hood on that day and his base went into lock-down and he was too busy to call. Even though we mourn with our fellow Americans, the loss of over 3000 innocent people and the pain their families have had to deal with, the attacks of 9-11 have touched every American.

There are several ways to look at 9-11:

• 9-11 was planned and executed by the US government.
• BushCo did not plan 9-11, but they knew it was going to happen and did nothing to prevent it and, in fact, may have allowed it to
happen.
• 9-11 was planned and executed by a group of 17 terrorists (14 of them from Saudi Arabia) without the fore knowledge of the US
government and we were attacked because the terrorists "hated our freedoms and democracy."

Whichever of the theories is true, one thing is for sure: the Bush regime's response to 9-11 was woefully inept and criminal and many people have been killed, wounded, displaced or destroyed because of the Bush regimes' exploitation of the tragedy to use ultra-violence against the innocent people of two nations in response to a criminal act perpetrated by a few. Watching the recent RNC was a reminder of 9-11 hysteria used to justify implementing the Project for a New American Century and excusing BushCo for the crimes they have committed on the non-existent graves of our brothers and sisters who perished that day and whose remains were never recovered.

Instead of taking a hard and critical look at the corporate-imperialistic policies of our government and trying to objectively figure out why we were attacked, we set off on a nationalistic flag waving fervor of mass fear that was only to be cured by shopping, traveling and allowing George and Dick to make a demented response to it. After 9-11 our country lost a real opportunity to search our souls and make amends to the world for our greed and violence. An apt response would have been to punish the perpetrators of the crime in a court of law and not by rabidly seeking the first country to destroy. Attacking Afghanistan was like bombing Sicily to oblivion for the crimes of the Mafia. Attacking Iraq was just for neocon kicks.

George Bush was handed a Presidential Daily Briefing in Crawford, Texas on August 6th, 2001, that read: "Osama bin Laden determined to strike in the United States." According to journalist Ron Susskind, Bush told the agent who delivered the message: "Okay, you've covered your ass." Instead, our collective asses are twisting in the wind of the abuses and excesses of the last 7 years.

Our economy is being destroyed by 7 years of seemingly endless occupations that have made Dick and his cronies wealthy, but have harmed the rest of us. The price of gas has almost tripled since 9-11, thus causing all other consumer goods to skyrocket. People are losing their jobs and homes because this war economy cannot be sustained with Monopoly money printed and devalued to cover our rising deficits. We have become the worlds' worst debtor nation and our treasury is trillions in debt.

Our famous "freedoms" that the terrorists "hated" have been eroded due to the PATRIOT ACT, the Military Commissions Act and the violent response to protest from our robo-clad police state. We can be guaranteed that any call, email or text message that we send or receive is being read and if we dare protest we will be pepper-sprayed, maced, tear gassed, tasered, or beaten with a Billy club by our employees: law enforcement; authorized by our other employees: government.

My opponent, Nancy Pelosi, has cooperated and collaborated with the Bush regime to allow torture and incarceration without due process and NSA spying on Americans without warrants. She opens her Gucci bag and doles out billions for his War OF Terror while sitting in her mansion, children and grandchildren out of harms way, while our country implodes and Iraq and Afghanistan burn. She has legitimized BushCo's crimes and refuses to hold them accountable for the destruction they have unleashed upon our world.

It's not only time for new leadership in our government, but it's time for a new 9-11 Commission that has subpoena power and is not facilitated by the crooks who either perpetrated the crime and/or collaborated with it. Government abuses cannot be credibly investigated by government commissions: A citizen's investigation that is independent from the federal government and where people like George and Dick will actually have to give their testimony in the light of day, under oath and not holding hands, must be empowered and empanelled.

If you agree with me that a new 9-11 investigation is warranted, please contribute to my campaign to unseat Vichy-Pelosi who would never agree to investigate her buddy Bush for any crimes, much less the crime of our new century.

But most importantly, Cindy for Congress sends our deepest condolences to those who lost family member on 9-11 and anyone else on this planet who have lost their jobs, homes, or lives due to George's tragic response to the tragedy of 9-11.

My son is one of the ones whose life was ended prematurely. I mourn deeply for him each day, but the way forward is towards healing, peace, accountability, environmental sustainability, and economic equality and away from the violence and greed that has colored every aspect of our lives since that sad day.

www.CindyforCongress.org

Did Florida election officials accidentally trash uncounted ballots?
More than 3,000 ballots that went missing after a local primary election in Florida could have been inadvertently thrown out on election night, and there are calls for state officials to step in and take over elections operations in the chronically plagued Palm Beach County before November.

"Are the 3,478 missing ballots in a landfill? were they inadvertently thrown out by election officials who thought they were trash?" local anchor Tim Malloy asked in a Wednesday night broadcast. "NewsChannel 5 has exclusively learned that is the leading theory on officials' minds."

Malloy reports that officials at a Boynton Beach precinct may have placed bundles of uncounted ballots into nondescript black plastic trash bags before having them transported to the Palm Beach County Board of Elections. Ballots are supposed to be placed into zippered bags like those used for bank deposits and transported to the board offices in duffle bags, but precinct officials apparently ran out of the duffle bags.

"A reliable law enforcement source tells us it is believed the garbage bag was thrown out. mistaken for trash on a very busy night," Malloy reports. "It would adequately explain, our source says, the mystifying disappearance of thousands of ballots."

more here