Hacking Elections Is Easy Preserving Democracy In The Digital Age

The United States election process has been at risk since the widespread adoption of electronic voting systems in 2002-2006. Even though researchers have spent the past decade demonstrating that Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) and optical scanning systems from every manufacturer are vulnerable along numerous attack vectors, our Nation is still plagued with a lack of transparency on the part of electronic voting system manufacturers and poorly trained election officials and staff. Despite the recurring discussion on electronic voting vulnerabilities that occurs every four years, only limited attention is given to the systemic problem undermining American democracy. It is time for a complete overhaul in the electoral process' cyber, technical and physical security.In this publication, entitled "Hacking Elections is Easy! Preserving Democracy in the Digital Age," ArtOfTheHak, America's leading cybersecurity Think Tank, provides a comprehensive two-part analysis of this threat to our democracy: Part 1: Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures- The shocking ease of hacking virtually any voting machine's "black box" technology- The cyber, technical and physical attack methods that could be enlisted by Nation States, Hacktivists, and black hat hackers- Social Engineering attack vectors Part 2: PSST! Wanna Buy a National Voter Database? Hacking E-Voting Systems Was Just the Beginning- The risk of local and state-level election official and staff exploitation- Documented incidents of data breaches and attacks involving electronic voting systems- E-voting testing requirements by region- Vulnerabilities in electronic voting systems currently / previously in use in the united states (organized by manufacturer)

The United States election process has been at risk since the widespread adoption of electronic voting systems in 2002-2006. Even though researchers have spent the past decade demonstrating that Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) and optical scanning systems from every manufacturer are vulnerable along numerous attack vectors, our Nation is still plagued with a lack of transparency on the part of electronic voting system manufacturers and poorly trained election officials and staff. Despite the recurring discussion on electronic voting vulnerabilities that occurs every four years, only limited attention is given to the systemic problem undermining American democracy. It is time for a complete overhaul in the electoral process' cyber, technical and physical security. In this publication, entitled "Hacking Elections is Easy! Preserving Democracy in the Digital Age," the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology, America's leading cybersecurity Think Tank, provides a comprehensive two-part analysis of this threat to our democracy: Part 1: Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures - The shocking ease of hacking virtually any voting machine's "black box" technology - The cyber, technical and physical attack methods that could be enlisted by Nation States, Hacktivists, and black hat hackers - Social Engineering attack vectors Part 2: PSST! Wanna Buy a National Voter Database? Hacking E-Voting Systems Was Just the Beginning - The risk of local and state-level election official and staff exploitation - Documented incidents of data breaches and attacks involving electronic voting systems - E-voting testing requirements by region - Vulnerabilities in electronic voting systems currently / previously in use in the united states (organized by manufacturer)

The Brennan Center at NYU convened a high-level task force of voting experts from government, academia, and business to systematically analyze various threats to voting technologies that are widely used across the country today. This book offers specific remedies and countermeasures to identify and protect democratic elections from widespread fraud and sabotage.

During the 2016 presidential election, America's election infrastructure was targeted by actors sponsored by the Russian government. Securing the Vote: Protecting American Democracy examines the challenges arising out of the 2016 federal election, assesses current technology and standards for voting, and recommends steps that the federal government, state and local governments, election administrators, and vendors of voting technology should take to improve the security of election infrastructure. In doing so, the report provides a vision of voting that is more secure, accessible, reliable, and verifiable.

Information and communication technologies are increasingly prevalent in electoral management and democratic processes, even for countries without any form of electronic voting. These technologies offer numerous new opportunities, but also new threats. Cybersecurity is currently one of the greatest electoral challenges. It involves a broad range of actors, including electoral management bodies, cybersecurity expert bodies and security agencies. Many countries have found that interagency collaboration is essential for defending elections against digital threats. In recent years significant advances have been made in organizing such collaboration at the domestic and international levels. This guide tracks how countries are making progress on improving cybersecurity in elections. Based on an extensive collection of 20 case studies from all over the world, it provides lessons for those wanting to strengthen their defences against cyberattacks.

How networked technology enables the emergence of a new collaborative society. Humans are hard-wired for collaboration, and new technologies of communication act as a super-amplifier of our natural collaborative mindset. This volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series examines the emergence of a new kind of social collaboration enabled by networked technologies. This new collaborative society might be characterized as a series of services and startups that enable peer-to-peer exchanges and interactions though technology. Some believe that the economic aspects of the new collaboration have the potential to make society more equitable; others see collaborative communities based on sharing as a cover for social injustice and user exploitation. The book covers the “sharing economy,” and the hijacking of the term by corporations; different models of peer production, and motivations to participate; collaborative media production and consumption, the definitions of “amateur” and “professional,” and the power of memes; hactivism and social movements, including Anonymous and anti-ACTA protest; collaborative knowledge creation, including citizen science; collaborative self-tracking; and internet-mediated social relations, as seen in the use of Instagram, Snapchat, and Tinder. Finally, the book considers the future of these collaborative tendencies and the disruptions caused by fake news, bots, and other challenges.

The use of computers and other technology introduces a range of risks to electoral integrity. Cybersecurity for Elections explains how cybersecurity issues can compromise traditional aspects of elections, explores how cybersecurity interacts with the broader electoral environment, and offers principles for managing cybersecurity risks.

Electronic voting is often seen as a tool for making the electoral process more efficient and for increasing trust in its management. Properly implemented, e-voting solutions can increase the security of the ballot, speed up the processing of results and make voting easier. However, the challenges are considerable. If not carefully planned and designed, e-voting can undermine the confidence in the whole electoral process. Technology upgrades in elections are always challenging projects that require careful deliberation and planning. Introducing e-voting is probably the most difficult upgrade as this technology touches the core of the entire electoral process—the casting and counting of the votes. E-voting greatly reduces direct human control and influence in this process. This provides an opportunity for solving some old electoral problems, but also introduces a whole range of new concerns. Consequently, e-voting usually triggers more criticism and opposition and is more disputed than any other information technology application in elections. This Policy Paper outlines contextual factors that can influence the success of e-voting solutions and highlights the importance of considering these factors before choosing to introduce new voting technologies.