EVMs CAN BE MANIPULATED IN ELECTIONS: SAID BY EC
The Election Commission of India has made an amazing confession: that the security and integrity of the entire election system will be compromised if the EVM software and the hardware design become known. This is what technologists, activists and political leaders have been saying for many months now and the Commission had steadfastly refuted such claims with a bizarre “our EVMs are fully tamper proof” claim.
The above revelation was made by the Election Commission in a letter dated March 30, 2010 to Shri V.V. Rao, petitioner in the Supreme Court on the EVMs. I quote below:
”…The Commission is concerned that commercial interests could use the route of reverse engineering (a process by which the original software and hardware configuration can be accessed) which may compromise the security and sanctity of the entire election system.”
“…It is once again made clear that any demonstration of alleged tamper ability cannot include reverse-engineering as it compromises security and sanctity of the entire election system.”
{Reverse engineering is the process of discovering the technological principles of a device through analysis of its structure, function and operation. It often involves taking a device and analyzing its workings in detail to make a new device or program that does the same thing without utilizing any physical part of the original. In a nutshell, the concept behind reverse-engineering is to break something down in order to understand it and build a copy or improve it. This process was originally applied only to hardware. Reverse-engineering is now applied to software.}
Computer Scientists Take Over Electronic Voting Machine with New Programming Technique
San Diego, CA, August 10, 2009 — Computer scientists demonstrated that criminals could hack an electronic voting machine and steal votes using a malicious programming approach that had not been invented when the voting machine was designed. The team of scientists from University of California, San Diego, the University of Michigan, and Princeton University employed “return-oriented programming” to force a Sequoia AVC Advantage electronic voting machine to turn against itself and steal votes.
The Election Commission of India now openly admits that the security and integrity of the entire election system may be compromised if anybody reverse engineers the ECI-EVMs. This statement of the Election Commission raises several questions that impinge on India’s electoral democracy.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS ON EVM:
Jimmy Carter
The above revelation was made by the Election Commission in a letter dated March 30, 2010 to Shri V.V. Rao, petitioner in the Supreme Court on the EVMs. I quote below:
”…The Commission is concerned that commercial interests could use the route of reverse engineering (a process by which the original software and hardware configuration can be accessed) which may compromise the security and sanctity of the entire election system.”
“…It is once again made clear that any demonstration of alleged tamper ability cannot include reverse-engineering as it compromises security and sanctity of the entire election system.”
{Reverse engineering is the process of discovering the technological principles of a device through analysis of its structure, function and operation. It often involves taking a device and analyzing its workings in detail to make a new device or program that does the same thing without utilizing any physical part of the original. In a nutshell, the concept behind reverse-engineering is to break something down in order to understand it and build a copy or improve it. This process was originally applied only to hardware. Reverse-engineering is now applied to software.}
Computer Scientists Take Over Electronic Voting Machine with New Programming Technique
San Diego, CA, August 10, 2009 — Computer scientists demonstrated that criminals could hack an electronic voting machine and steal votes using a malicious programming approach that had not been invented when the voting machine was designed. The team of scientists from University of California, San Diego, the University of Michigan, and Princeton University employed “return-oriented programming” to force a Sequoia AVC Advantage electronic voting machine to turn against itself and steal votes.
The Election Commission of India now openly admits that the security and integrity of the entire election system may be compromised if anybody reverse engineers the ECI-EVMs. This statement of the Election Commission raises several questions that impinge on India’s electoral democracy.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS ON EVM:
Jimmy Carter
Former president and James Baker III, Former Secretary of State, United States
There is no need to trust the insiders in the election industry anymore than in other industries, such as gambling, where sophisticated insider fraud has occurred despite extraordinary measures to prevent it. One way to instill greater confidence that the DREs [voting machines that directly record votes in electronic memory as in the case of Indian EVMs] are properly recording votes is to require a paper record of the ballot that the voter can verify and before the ballot is cast. Such a paper record known as voter verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) allows the voters to check that his or her vote was recorded as it was intended. Because VVPAT can permit recounts, audits, and a back up in case of a malfunction, there is growing demand for such paper trails.
Prof. Alex Halderman
There is no need to trust the insiders in the election industry anymore than in other industries, such as gambling, where sophisticated insider fraud has occurred despite extraordinary measures to prevent it. One way to instill greater confidence that the DREs [voting machines that directly record votes in electronic memory as in the case of Indian EVMs] are properly recording votes is to require a paper record of the ballot that the voter can verify and before the ballot is cast. Such a paper record known as voter verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) allows the voters to check that his or her vote was recorded as it was intended. Because VVPAT can permit recounts, audits, and a back up in case of a malfunction, there is growing demand for such paper trails.
Prof. Alex Halderman
University of Michigan
Hacking Indian EVMs is easy. They can be hacked by just inserting a simple 8 pin chip behind the display section of the control unit, which would go unnoticed. When the results button is pressed on the counting day and the results begin to flash on the display screen of the control unit, the Trojan in the inserted chip may get activated. EVMs used in the United States and Europe required software attacks as they are sophisticated voting machines and their hardware cannot be replaced cheaply. In contrast, the Indian EVMs can easily be replaced either in part or as wholesale units. In the beginning, U.S. citizens were enamoured of the EVMs' efficiency and modernity. Once they became aware that elections could be 'stolen', they began demanding paper ballots once again. For vulnerability demonstration of Diebold AccuVote-TS Voting Machine by Alex Halderman and team
INDIAN POLITICAL LEADERS ON EVM
Hacking Indian EVMs is easy. They can be hacked by just inserting a simple 8 pin chip behind the display section of the control unit, which would go unnoticed. When the results button is pressed on the counting day and the results begin to flash on the display screen of the control unit, the Trojan in the inserted chip may get activated. EVMs used in the United States and Europe required software attacks as they are sophisticated voting machines and their hardware cannot be replaced cheaply. In contrast, the Indian EVMs can easily be replaced either in part or as wholesale units. In the beginning, U.S. citizens were enamoured of the EVMs' efficiency and modernity. Once they became aware that elections could be 'stolen', they began demanding paper ballots once again. For vulnerability demonstration of Diebold AccuVote-TS Voting Machine by Alex Halderman and team
INDIAN POLITICAL LEADERS ON EVM
Dr. J. Jayalalithaa
General Secretary, AIADMK
In many polling stations in Tamil Nadu, EVMs are not functioning properly. Even votes polled in favour of the AIADMK are being registered in favour of other candidates. In a democracy, every voter has a right to know whether the vote she/ he has cast has gone to the candidate or party it was meant for. In the absence of such certainty, the entire democratic process will be rendered a mockery.
Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad
In many polling stations in Tamil Nadu, EVMs are not functioning properly. Even votes polled in favour of the AIADMK are being registered in favour of other candidates. In a democracy, every voter has a right to know whether the vote she/ he has cast has gone to the candidate or party it was meant for. In the absence of such certainty, the entire democratic process will be rendered a mockery.
Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad
General Secretary in Charge, INC
Congress general secretary in charge of the party’s affairs in Orissa Ghulam Nabi Azad alleged “manipulation” of electronic voting machines (EVMs) had led to the party’s defeat in the assembly and parliamentary elections in the state (Orissa) .“EVMs were manipulated during the poll which resulted in defeat of many Congress candidates,” – Said by Ghulam Nabi Azad in a Press meet at Bhubaneshwar.
Shri L.K. Advani
Congress general secretary in charge of the party’s affairs in Orissa Ghulam Nabi Azad alleged “manipulation” of electronic voting machines (EVMs) had led to the party’s defeat in the assembly and parliamentary elections in the state (Orissa) .“EVMs were manipulated during the poll which resulted in defeat of many Congress candidates,” – Said by Ghulam Nabi Azad in a Press meet at Bhubaneshwar.
Shri L.K. Advani
Senior Leader, BJP
I personally regard it significant that Germany, technologically, one of the most advanced countries of the world, has become so wary of EVM as to ban their use altogether. We should revert to ballot papers unless the Election Commission is able to ensure that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are foolproof and every possibility of their malfunctioning is taken care of.
Shri Chandrababu Naidu
I personally regard it significant that Germany, technologically, one of the most advanced countries of the world, has become so wary of EVM as to ban their use altogether. We should revert to ballot papers unless the Election Commission is able to ensure that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are foolproof and every possibility of their malfunctioning is taken care of.
Shri Chandrababu Naidu
President, TDP
Several questions have been raised about the reliability of EVMs. At several places, EVMs did not work properly and data differed from polling station and counting hall records. Usage of EVMs should be suspended till all the doubts about them are cleared and public become confident about their efficacy. Credibility is the essence of the election process, and one cannot ignore the fact that technologically advanced countries like Germany, Ireland, Netherlands and the U.S.A. are either banning or prescribing stringent conditions for the usage of EVMs for registering the public vote.
Some of the Questions which are unanswered by EC so far:
1. Why has the Election Commission repeatedly misled the nation so far repeatedly claiming that its EVMs are tamper proof and unriggable?
2. Given that for a reverse engineering operation, one requires access to only a single machine of each make/ model (there are only four models in use), what is the guarantee that people have not gained unauthorized access to EVMs? Over 13 Lakh EVMs are lying all over the country in the districts and it is easy and simple to get a few of them.
3. Manufacturers, software programme developers, other employees, private foreign companies involved in software fusing etc. have access to the machine software and hardware specifications. What is the guarantee that they have not used such knowledge to “fix” elections in the country? In the light of the ground level reports that such insidious operatives are at work, isn’t it silly to make such assumptions? (Refer my book “Democracy at Risk: Can we trust our EVMs?” for vivid accounts of such murky operations.)
4. Ironically, even the Election Commission and its experts committee have not examined the software in the EVMs. The Experts Committee has only done functional testing of the EVMs, referred to as the Black box testing, which is highly unreliable for security testing. What is then basis for the Election Commission’s confidence in the reliability of the EVMs?
5. Why has the Election Commission chosen to blindly trust the EVM manufacturers when it has a splendid record in taking officials involved in elections to task for even minor aberrations? Is it its helplessness or lack of technical familiarity that made it blindly trust the manufacturing PSUs?
6. Why did the Election Commission allow the EVM manufacturers to share the software programme with foreign manufacturers of micro chips who in turn mask the chips which makes it impossible for even the manufacturers to read back the software contents?
After this latest admission, one would have hoped that the Election Commission would reform the voting system to make it absolutely secure. Perhaps, that is too much to expect from the Election Commission. This becomes evident from the Election Commission’s affidavits in the Delhi High Court rebuffing suggestions of transparency and auditability by introducing voter verified paper print out of all votes cast on EVMs.
1. Why has the Election Commission repeatedly misled the nation so far repeatedly claiming that its EVMs are tamper proof and unriggable?
2. Given that for a reverse engineering operation, one requires access to only a single machine of each make/ model (there are only four models in use), what is the guarantee that people have not gained unauthorized access to EVMs? Over 13 Lakh EVMs are lying all over the country in the districts and it is easy and simple to get a few of them.
3. Manufacturers, software programme developers, other employees, private foreign companies involved in software fusing etc. have access to the machine software and hardware specifications. What is the guarantee that they have not used such knowledge to “fix” elections in the country? In the light of the ground level reports that such insidious operatives are at work, isn’t it silly to make such assumptions? (Refer my book “Democracy at Risk: Can we trust our EVMs?” for vivid accounts of such murky operations.)
4. Ironically, even the Election Commission and its experts committee have not examined the software in the EVMs. The Experts Committee has only done functional testing of the EVMs, referred to as the Black box testing, which is highly unreliable for security testing. What is then basis for the Election Commission’s confidence in the reliability of the EVMs?
5. Why has the Election Commission chosen to blindly trust the EVM manufacturers when it has a splendid record in taking officials involved in elections to task for even minor aberrations? Is it its helplessness or lack of technical familiarity that made it blindly trust the manufacturing PSUs?
6. Why did the Election Commission allow the EVM manufacturers to share the software programme with foreign manufacturers of micro chips who in turn mask the chips which makes it impossible for even the manufacturers to read back the software contents?
After this latest admission, one would have hoped that the Election Commission would reform the voting system to make it absolutely secure. Perhaps, that is too much to expect from the Election Commission. This becomes evident from the Election Commission’s affidavits in the Delhi High Court rebuffing suggestions of transparency and auditability by introducing voter verified paper print out of all votes cast on EVMs.
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