Hackers bombard electronic voting in November

[InfoSec News-2]

http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/folha/informatica/ult124u645011

(Google Translation)

the Efe, in Rio de Janeiro
29/10/2009

The security of electronic voting machines will be tested next month by
26 computer experts and hackers who enrolled in an open challenge by the
Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE).

"The court decided to accept the registration of all persons who have
expressed interest in putting the ballot to any evidence to show that
there is no intention to veto anyone or any kind of strategy," said a
representative of the TSE.

The 26 experts and hackers, who have access to both the hardware and
system software, will participate from the 10th and 13th of November
tests public safety system of electronic voting at the court.

The ten challenging, as some will work in groups, will have four days to
try and crack the security codes of the software, the secrecy of the
vote or to change any votes entered with the help of various programs
and equipment.

The TSE decided to undertake the challenge in response to complaints
from some political parties who claim that the investigation of an
election in Brazil can be manipulated by computer experts.

For the secretary of information technology of the TSE, Giuseppe Janino,
testing also will identify possible gaps in the system.

According Janino among the challengers include subscribers from
professionals in computer science, electronic engineering and systems
analysis by experts in auditing.

The secretary added that the diversity of strategies that will be used
by challengers can be measured within each asked to try and crack the
system, ranging from one hour to four days.


Plans of attack

"One of the attached claims that the search for electromagnetic waves to
identify the keys used by the voter and thus violate the secrecy of
voting," said Janino, quoted a statement of the court.

"There are also plans to try to invade the system with malicious
software," he added, referring to a challenger who want to get to the
memory of the ballot box with a program created especially for
violations of systems.

"His intention is to promote differences in ratings typed with software
that self-destructs after use to leave no traces," he said.

The TSE will award $ 5 thousand a group of challengers that most closely
approximates the purpose of violating the security of the system.


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