Hacking Elections Is Easy!: Preserving Democracy in the Digital Age

Book excerpt: 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)