Princeton prof. & grad students hacked and spread virus on Diebold machine

MSNBC
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14825465/

Princeton prof hacks e-vote machine
Students uploaded viruses able to spread to other machines

Updated: 18 minutes ago

TRENTON, N.J. - A Princeton University computer science professor added new fuel Wednesday to claims that electronic voting machines used across much of the country are vulnerable to hacking that could alter vote totals or disable machines.

In a paper posted on the university's Web site, Edward Felten and two graduate students described how they had tested a Diebold AccuVote-TS machine they obtained, found ways to quickly upload malicious programs and even developed a computer virus able to spread such programs between machines.

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"I'm concerned by the fact we weren't contacted to educate these people on where our current technology stands," Mark Radke said.

Radke also question why Felten hadn't submitted his paper for peer review, as is commonly done before publishing scientific research.

Felten said he and his colleagues felt it necessary to publish the paper as quickly as possible because of the possible implications for the November midterm elections.

Let's hope that Diebold doesn't catch on until it's too late. grin.

While computers are generally a good thing, perhaps we should revisit the old voting machines that were harder to tamper with. Think of Ohio in the 2004 Presidential election and think if this did not happen there...

:hi: Welcome to DU!

:hi:

the election can be, and will be, tampered with.

I wonder if this test will make any difference to any cases having to do with election fraud that are scheduled before the courts? Aren't there still supposed to be two cases on the Ohio fiasco?

AS far as the Ohio cases, I'm not sure.

have the machine in their possesion. I'm sure this is very convincing to someone.