Testimony earlier today by Prof. Alex Haldeman to Washington D.C. Council. As reported two days ago Alex and his team hacked, changed votes, and played the U. Michigan Fight Song on public test of D.C.’s proposed Internet voting system. Without their testing, the system might well have been used and possibly abused in the actual November election.
For better and for worse (*) the seriousness of the vulnerability goes well beyond what was reported two days ago; goes well beyond Internet voting in D.C; serious issues going well beyond voting.
I highly recommend taking the time to watch the video at least Alex’s testimony. which is the 1st 20min or so of the hearing. It it is also worth taking the time to listen to the questions and answers by the other experts testifying as well. WARNING: Viewing will likely raise severe, permanent distrust in any Internet system. <Video, courtesy Joe Hall>
I challenge any election official, legislator, or any voter, to listen to the entire video, then to support Internet voting and explain why these experts are wrong.
You can also read Joe Hall’s summary of the “new key insights” <here>. However, I strongly recommend taking them time for the video.
Update: Brad Friedman interviews Dr. David Jefferson <about 14 min in 1st hour>
Update: CNN demos and interview of Alex Haldeman <view>
Update: Washington Post editorial: Flaws in D.C.’s online voting system should serve as a warning to all states <read>
(*) Better because there was much more demonstrated than the hacking of a single voting system. The large, apparently common risks of many government and private networks. Worse because it demonstrates really serious vulnerabilities to the infrastructure we trust for much more than voting.
