Don't be a fool by pointing at a supposed tinfoil hat. I'm not wearing
one.
There are 9 episodes...... Truly mind-boggling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzPXer7946E

r

On Jan 17, 10:22 pm, Robatoy wrote:
Don't be a fool by pointing at a supposed tinfoil hat. I'm not wearing
one.
There are 9 episodes...... Truly mind-boggling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzPXer7946E


Companies that sell movies on DVDs have the option of
including a 'regional code' on the DVD. DVD players also
have a regional code embedded in their firmware. Typically
the regional code in a DVD player can be changed to play
DVDs with a different regional code--but only five times.
After the fifth change the code is 'locked' in on the DVD
player and can only be changed by replacing a chip.

It is not possible to 'hack' a locked DVD player using code
embedded on a DVD, or even through the communications
interface used to control the DVD player or stream the
data.

But it is possible to hack many voting machines using code
embedded on the flash card inserted into the machine to record
votes.

IOW, the regional code protection on a typical DVD player is
MORE secure than the essential software on many of our
voting machines!

Were it my job to design a voting machine the first design
decision I would make would be to put the software on an
EPROM so that it could not be hacked without physically
removing the chip from the machine. People smarter than
I, and there are plenty of them, could probably come up
with less expensive intrinsicly secure methods.

This leaves me concluding that incompetence alone is
not sufficient to explain why voting machines that can
be hacked by malware embedded on the flash cards are
being used. It is so easy and straightforward to incorporate
intrisic security into such a device that I have to conclude
that an instrinsicly secure design was deliberately rejected
during development.

--

FF

Fred the Red Shirt said:

On Jan 17, 10:22 pm, Robatoy wrote:
Don't be a fool by pointing at a supposed tinfoil hat. I'm not wearing
one.
There are 9 episodes...... Truly mind-boggling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzPXer7946E


Companies that sell movies on DVDs have the option of
including a 'regional code' on the DVD. DVD players also
have a regional code embedded in their firmware. Typically
the regional code in a DVD player can be changed to play
DVDs with a different regional code--but only five times.
After the fifth change the code is 'locked' in on the DVD
player and can only be changed by replacing a chip.

It is not possible to 'hack' a locked DVD player using code
embedded on a DVD, or even through the communications
interface used to control the DVD player or stream the
data.

Actually, there are several programs that allow a DVD drive to ignore
not only the region code, but break the CSS encryption code. There are
also firmware hacks that remove the region code check entirely.
And to demonstrate how secure this multi-million dollar DVD encryption
code engineering faux pas was, it took a 14 year old kid in Finland
about a week to break it - with the advantage of having one key to
work from. (Google DeCSS)

But it is possible to hack many voting machines using code
embedded on the flash card inserted into the machine to record
votes.

As well as other ways, including the tabulator software.

IOW, the regional code protection on a typical DVD player is
MORE secure than the essential software on many of our
voting machines!

Exponentially greater - and that is a thoroughly depressing thought.
I have a copy of the original GEMS tabulator software intended for use
in the FL 2000 election. While they most assuredly have rewritten
parts of it, it was a bad joke. Microsoft Access, no hashing or
encryption or security to speak of. MS Jet engine could directly
manipulate the tabulated votes. Bad stuff.

Were it my job to design a voting machine the first design
decision I would make would be to put the software on an
EPROM so that it could not be hacked without physically
removing the chip from the machine. People smarter than
I, and there are plenty of them, could probably come up
with less expensive intrinsicly secure methods.

Easily, and far cheaper. Dedicated hardware. No chance of
manipulation, till you get to the tabulator...

This leaves me concluding that incompetence alone is
not sufficient to explain why voting machines that can
be hacked by malware embedded on the flash cards are
being used. It is so easy and straightforward to incorporate
intrisic security into such a device that I have to conclude
that an instrinsicly secure design was deliberately rejected
during development.

Getting a product to market quick by a favored vendor so that they
could cash in on the new electronic Vote America mandates. And the
added possibility of subverting the vote. A gleam in their eyes both
ways. Diebold, AIR, still will not release the source for examination
by computer professionals. As a partial nerd, I am outraged. Watch
these guys carefully.

They should have given the job of design to computer science
departments at MIT, et al. Make the money put into education pay
something back to the citizens of the US.

FWIW,

Greg G.

On Thu, 17 Jan 2008 14:22:36 -0800 (PST), Robatoy
wrote:

Don't be a fool by pointing at a supposed tinfoil hat. I'm not wearing
one.
There are 9 episodes...... Truly mind-boggling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzPXer7946E

r


ok got my tinfoil hat on but there seems to be some parts of this
missing! lol
watched parts 1 2 and 3 then could only watch part 9. what happened to
parts 4 5 6 7 and 8? hmmmm..... conspiracy maybe?

BTW hope you are healing. you got too much time on your hands here
lately! :-]

skeez

Contact me off list

Lew

On Jan 17, 7:44*pm, skeez wrote:
On Thu, 17 Jan 2008 14:22:36 -0800 (PST), Robatoy

wrote:
Don't be a fool by pointing at a supposed tinfoil hat. I'm not wearing
one.
There are 9 episodes...... Truly mind-boggling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzPXer7946E

r

ok got my tinfoil hat on but there seems to be some parts of this
missing! lol
watched parts 1 2 and 3 then could only watch part 9. what happened to
parts 4 5 6 7 and 8? *hmmmm..... conspiracy maybe?

BTW hope you are healing. you got too much time on your hands here
lately! :-]

skeez

I'm back to work full-up. Just 12 hour days, cuz I still feel like
slacking a bit, but soon back to 16 hour days.

When voting is rigged, democracy dies.

Robatoy wrote:


wrote:
Don't be a fool by pointing at a supposed tinfoil hat. I'm not wearing
one.
There are 9 episodes...... Truly mind-boggling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzPXer7946E

.... snip

When voting is rigged, democracy dies.

You act as if this is something new. Does the name "Richard
Vote-early-and-vote-often Daley" ring a bell? Chicago, where even the dead
turn out on election day? The University of Michigan (IIRC, may have been
Minnesota) where a number of people admitted to casting multiple votes.
The election of 1960 where the standing joke was that ballot boxes in a
number of precincts had holes so they would sink better. More recently,
Washington state, where they kept "finding" ballot boxes until Maria
Cantwell finally won the recount? Ballot box stuffing is sadly nothing
new, the technology may have changed, but the motivations have not.

No matter what technology is used, someone is going to figure out how to
game the system. That is why all the parties involved have poll watchers
and should be monitoring vote counts. Do you think the Dems would sign off
on a new vote technology they thought was gamed against them ? I would
like to say ditto for the Republicans, but past history seems to point out
that too many of the Republican leadership are more afraid of making waves
and not offending the opposition.

--
If you're going to be dumb, you better be tough

On Jan 17, 8:51*pm, Mark & Juanita wrote:
Robatoy wrote:
wrote:
Don't be a fool by pointing at a supposed tinfoil hat. I'm not wearing
one.
There are 9 episodes...... Truly mind-boggling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzPXer7946E

... snip

When voting is rigged, democracy dies.

* You act as if this is something new. *

Not at all. What is new, is that the machine merchants are making the
hackability a feature.
"You allocate the funds to buy this equipment, and we'll make sure
you're going to get elected."

That's what is new, IMHO.

"Voters decide nothing; people who count votes decide everything." --Joseph
Stalin

--
Swampbug
-----------------------


"Robatoy" wrote in message
...
On Jan 17, 8:51 pm, Mark & Juanita wrote:
Robatoy wrote:
wrote:
Don't be a fool by pointing at a supposed tinfoil hat. I'm not wearing
one.
There are 9 episodes...... Truly mind-boggling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzPXer7946E

... snip

When voting is rigged, democracy dies.

You act as if this is something new.

Not at all. What is new, is that the machine merchants are making the
hackability a feature.
"You allocate the funds to buy this equipment, and we'll make sure
you're going to get elected."

That's what is new, IMHO.