Click here to receive your FREE subscription to Campus Technology
News
California Enlists Higher Ed Hackers To Test Voting Machines
7/10/2007
A team of technology professors, computer security experts, and computer hackers last week met to hack into three electronic voting machines that will be used in California's first February presidential primary next year.The team was led by Matt Bishop, a University of California, Davis, computer science professor who has helped test voting systems in Florida and Maryland.
Bishop's team is trying to prevent any repetition of the kinds of problems that arose in Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004. "The voters need to feel confident that their votes are being counted," California Secretary of State Debra Bowen told the Associated Press.
The voting machines, made by Sequoia, Diebold, and Hart InterCivic, as well as documents and source codes associated with the systems, are locked in cages monitored with closed circuit video cameras when they are not being used, the AP reported.
Even so, the public could view the hacker team through closed-circuit monitors at the secretary of state's office building near the state Capitol. It did not make for compelling viewing, said Bishop.
"That's really most of our job, sitting at a desk checking software," he said. Bishop said part of the job is to make mistakes intentionally in an effort to disrupt the machines.
The team will present its report to Bowen by July 23. Her decision on any necessary changes to the machines is set for early August.
Read More:
Paul McCloskey is a contributing editor for the Campus Technology group of publications.
Cite this Site
copy text (above) for proper citation
Recommended Reading
- IE Is Least-Patched Browser, Report Says
According to a report released last Tuesday, more than 40 percent of Internet surfers don't use browsers with up-to-date security patches--and Internet Explorer users are the biggest culprits.
- Ballmer Wants Board Change at Yahoo
Microsoft's executives have been talking with investor and corporate raider Carl Icahn about renewed plans for Microsoft to acquire part or all of Yahoo, provided that Yahoo's board is replaced. The details were described in an open letter issued Monday by Icahn, which is addressed to Yahoo's shareholders.
- July 2008 Crossword
Click above to see the solution for the July 2008 Campus Technology crossword puzzle.
- Stanford, IFL Introducing $50 Handheld to Mexico Students
Stanford University School of Education and Innovations for Learning, a Chicago-based nonprofit, have entered into a social entrepreneurship collaboration to bring the $50 Teachermate Handheld Computer to extremely underserved children in Latin America.
- 'Important' Fixes To Come in Microsoft's July Patch Cycle
IT pros will come back from the holiday weekend to face a possible four patches in Microsoft's July patch rollout, according an advance announcement issued by the company. The patches, arriving Tuesday, won't contain "critical" or "moderate" items, but all four will be deemed "important."
- Joliet JC Adopts MIR3 Emergency Notification Platform
Joliet Junior College will be deploying the MIR3 inCampusAlert emergency notification service for its main campus in Joliet, IL and its extended campuses and extension centers. inCampusAlert allows for dissemination of information to and from cell phones, e-mail, pagers, land lines, and SMS.
