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do you have a source for this? i don't doubt it's true, i am compiling evidence for claims like this

• 0xy 6y ago
  Sure, here's the source. [1] [1] https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/spalding-county-experiencing-county-wide-glitch-bringing-down-voting-machines/EPCV6RSBRFBLTJUVQXJZAIFO2U/ https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/spalding-county-experiencin... "vendor for the machines notified them at 7:05 a.m. that there was a problem with an overnight update to the system" "They just said it was a glitch in the system"
  • jlgaddis 6y ago
    I can't speak to this particular situation but it's worth noting that last-minute-just-before-polling-begins updates are the norm and happen pretty much every election. In/around my hometown, for example, the voting machines are "securely" stored in between elections, until just before an election, when they get 'em out to set them up, test them, etc. Whether they installed updates an hour before an electiion or two weeks before an election, it can still be made to sound "fishy" by anyone who wants it to. "Why were they installing a so-called 'update' an hour before the polls open?" versus "Why were they installing so-called 'updates' on the voting machines two weeks before the election?" Obviously, they were installing hacked firmware in either case, right?
    • 6510 6y ago
      We should trust them more because the repo is still being maintained? Its probably easy for us to think from where we are sitting that counting votes must be one hell of an easy application to write. Let me try.... ah yes, it indeed was very easy. The funny about ones ignorance is that one doesn't notice it even when one notices it. Assuming it was a legitimate update I wonder what that dude felt like when he realized it was needed.
      • monoideism 6y ago
        > Assuming it was a legitimate update I wonder what that dude felt like when he realized it was needed. Yes. It's very wrong, and possibly fraudulent, but I suspect more likely someone screwed up (or possibly a vuln was found). Likely someone had a cold chill down their spine when they realized what was needed.
    • monoideism 6y ago
      Either way, two weeks or two hours, it's a problem. Firmware updates should be done by the election officials, not the company. If my mom can update her router firmware, then I think an election official can do it. The fact that remote updates are even possible point to a much, much bigger problem. Do we really believe the devs working for Dominion (or whatever company) can outsmart the elite teams working for nation-state intelligence services? Also, this software should be open source and auditable by any concerned citizen.
  • chrisco255 6y ago
    It's a joke to believe these systems are secure at all. We saw with Stuxnet how air gapped nuclear reactors could be hacked with USB drives. It's patently absurd. Even if you do test the equipment, there could be sleeper code that only runs on election day. It's absolutely nuts that we trust anything other than ink and paper with a fingerprint and signature.
    • monoideism 6y ago
      > It's absolutely nuts that we trust anything other than ink and paper with a fingerprint and signature. This is the only way for secure elections.