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wishstar

(5,267 posts)
Wed Oct 12, 2016, 06:25 PM Oct 2016

Feds believe Russians hacked Florida election-systems vendor

Source: CNN

Federal investigators believe Russian hackers were behind cyberattacks on a contractor for Florida's election system that may have exposed the personal data of Florida voters, according to US officials briefed on the probe.

The hack of the Florida contractor comes on the heels of hacks in Illinois, in which personal data of tens of thousands of voters may have been stolen, and one in Arizona, in which investigators now believe the data of voters was likely exposed.
Election cyber threats: More states request DHS assistance
Election cyber threats: More states request DHS help
The FBI, in the coming days, is preparing to provide updated guidance to state elections officials around the US aiming to help them spot suspicious activity on their computer networks. Several states have reported attempted scans of their computer systems, which often is a precursor to a breach.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/12/politics/florida-election-hack/index.html

22 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Feds believe Russians hacked Florida election-systems vendor (Original Post) wishstar Oct 2016 OP
Contractors have our data? Wilms Oct 2016 #1
Voting machines and software should be infrastructure. mjvpi Oct 2016 #3
Very much agreed. Wilms Oct 2016 #10
They are. Igel Oct 2016 #14
That simply is not true. Coyotl Oct 2016 #15
Andy S showed us the blueprint... Cooley Hurd Oct 2016 #2
Most breach come from phishing and malware Foggyhill Oct 2016 #4
This is one reason I am not comfortable with the idea that Hillary is a shoe-in. pangaia Oct 2016 #5
send their ambassador home nt geek tragedy Oct 2016 #6
UNIVERSAL VOTE BY MAIL. PAPER TRAIL, PAPER BALLOTS Warren DeMontague Oct 2016 #7
Hear, hear. forest444 Oct 2016 #11
To make sure votes are ok Foggyhill Oct 2016 #8
Ridiculous. We have a right to vote in private. You want a hackable list of who voted for whom? Coyotl Oct 2016 #16
All that I'd you is the random number you got as receipt Foggyhill Oct 2016 #19
Tell that to the IT guys who get hacked all the time. Coyotl Oct 2016 #20
There is nothing to hack this is anonymous Foggyhill Oct 2016 #22
You should read Sinclair's 'The Jungle' for an in-depth explanation LanternWaste Oct 2016 #18
paper and ink ballots only . period allan01 Oct 2016 #9
So what do US authorities plan to do about it? ailsagirl Oct 2016 #12
If Drumpf wins, they'll hand the whole enchilada to Diebold, Sequoia, and ES&S. forest444 Oct 2016 #21
This is a complete non-story. Also voter data is public in the state of Florida. RAFisher Oct 2016 #13
These false stories are designed to suppress voting by eroding confidence in election integrity. Coyotl Oct 2016 #17

mjvpi

(1,384 posts)
3. Voting machines and software should be infrastructure.
Wed Oct 12, 2016, 06:44 PM
Oct 2016

The things that have happened in Ohio with the final vote tallies being conducted on private servers with proprietary software. What a good way to get people to be confidant in fair elections. Put them in the hands of private, for profit companies.

 

Wilms

(26,795 posts)
10. Very much agreed.
Wed Oct 12, 2016, 07:19 PM
Oct 2016

Lever machines were public infrastructure...but that's another story.

They need to be paper based. And they need to be PROPERLY audited. Sometimes it takes only a mistake, not fraud, to screw things up.

Most of the audit protocol laws, where they exist, are kind of week.

Igel

(35,191 posts)
14. They are.
Thu Oct 13, 2016, 07:11 AM
Oct 2016

So are electrical grids and toll roads under private management and sewer lines and cables for tv and internet.

Lots of those things are managed or even owned by private companies. But they're still infrastructure.

 

Coyotl

(15,262 posts)
15. That simply is not true.
Thu Oct 13, 2016, 08:58 AM
Oct 2016

Counties counted their votes in Ohio and reported them. You write "Ohio with the final vote tallies being conducted on private servers" when in fact they were "reported" from a contracted server because the OH SoS computer could not handle the load on election night. But every jurisdiction in Ohio knew their totals and had to do official reporting some days later. Not one county found any discrepancy between their reporting to the SoS on election night and the final, official reports. Everything added up perfectly.

Quit spreading voter suppression misinformation!

Foggyhill

(1,060 posts)
4. Most breach come from phishing and malware
Wed Oct 12, 2016, 06:48 PM
Oct 2016

Not direct attacks
Phishing breach are even harder to stop because they ' re using regular accounts
You have to see if you have irregular logins and activity

pangaia

(24,324 posts)
5. This is one reason I am not comfortable with the idea that Hillary is a shoe-in.
Wed Oct 12, 2016, 06:48 PM
Oct 2016

This, plus..
voter intimidation
violence
and who know what else....

forest444

(5,902 posts)
11. Hear, hear.
Wed Oct 12, 2016, 07:21 PM
Oct 2016

Electronic voting and/or tabulation is far too vulnerable to hacking; what's more the devices have often been deliberately designed to be that way. For every one of these incidents we learn of, there are probably 50 that we don't.

Foggyhill

(1,060 posts)
8. To make sure votes are ok
Wed Oct 12, 2016, 06:57 PM
Oct 2016

Every contractor should provide a. Web site were anyone could verify their vote
Say receive a tracking number and password when you vote
That way, it would be hard to do vote fraud
Independent audit of this data should also be the norm post election

 

Coyotl

(15,262 posts)
16. Ridiculous. We have a right to vote in private. You want a hackable list of who voted for whom?
Thu Oct 13, 2016, 09:00 AM
Oct 2016

Foggyhill

(1,060 posts)
19. All that I'd you is the random number you got as receipt
Thu Oct 13, 2016, 05:26 PM
Oct 2016

You can verify your vote but it is not traceable

This is a bit like the keys used to secure connections
There is a private key and a public one

Foggyhill

(1,060 posts)
22. There is nothing to hack this is anonymous
Thu Oct 13, 2016, 09:16 PM
Oct 2016

The number is not matched with the name, it's just issued to you when you vote
Btw, I'm an engineer with 30 years of experience in computer,software, systems including security

Most "hacks" you hear about are not even hacks in traditional sense, merely using phishing and malware to compromise accounts

Best way to protect data is not to have it...
in this case they would only have a random number and how this number voted, no names or any identifying info

 

LanternWaste

(37,748 posts)
18. You should read Sinclair's 'The Jungle' for an in-depth explanation
Thu Oct 13, 2016, 04:41 PM
Oct 2016

You should read Sinclair's 'The Jungle' for an in-depth explanation as to why voter receipts are not part and parcel of the system.

ailsagirl

(22,837 posts)
12. So what do US authorities plan to do about it?
Wed Oct 12, 2016, 07:53 PM
Oct 2016

This is scaring the hell out of me-- esp. when I recall drumpf standing there at a rally, reassuring his minions, "I'm gonna win-- believe me"

forest444

(5,902 posts)
21. If Drumpf wins, they'll hand the whole enchilada to Diebold, Sequoia, and ES&S.
Thu Oct 13, 2016, 06:40 PM
Oct 2016

Such that Rapepublicans would never have to worry about election outcomes again, much like the Temer regime did in Brazil recently with municipal elections their candidates "unexpectedly" swept.

RAFisher

(466 posts)
13. This is a complete non-story. Also voter data is public in the state of Florida.
Wed Oct 12, 2016, 08:12 PM
Oct 2016

Investigators believe a local contractor in California was the target of a hackers, but the systems accessed weren't related the elections, U.S. officials said.

A spokeswoman for the Florida Secretary of State said: "We currently have no indication of a Florida-specific issue. The Florida Voter Registration System database is secure. The Department of State does not utilize a vendor for voter registration services. The Department has in place many safeguards to prevent any possible attempts from being successful."


So no hack. And as I said, everything you write on a Florida voter registration form is public data. If you voted is public data. You're address. Your political party. Of course you're ballot is private with no way to trace back to you.

So I'm still trying to understand what they were even after.
 

Coyotl

(15,262 posts)
17. These false stories are designed to suppress voting by eroding confidence in election integrity.
Thu Oct 13, 2016, 09:02 AM
Oct 2016
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