(CA) Security of Diebold machines must past a hacker test

Yeah we wont know untill 2006, untill they rig the machines again.

Hack away.

Finnish computer expert Harri Hursti soon will have at a touch-screen voting machine awaiting certification in California. The invitation to expose potential flaws in a Diebold Election Systems machine is further proof that Secretary of State Bruce McPherson is taking the issue of voting security seriously.

As well he should. A federal study earlier this year sharply criticized the federal agency and testing lab charged with setting security standards and certifying voting equipment. And though it's getting better, California has not yet adopted rigorous-enough testing requirements of its own.

Giving a hacker access to an electronic voting system, under real-world conditions, should be part of the process. So should a full and independent examination of the vendors' proprietary source code; that would enable the state to immediately identify fundamental problems.

In May, Hursti astounded Leon County, Fla., voting officials when he hacked into Diebold equipment at their request. Hursti transferred his own software program onto a memory card that's used with Diebold's vote-tabulating system. Hursti's calling card -- ``Are we having fun yet?'' -- flashed across the screen. His point was that Diebold technicians or others with access to the machines could do the same -- and alter the count.

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/opinion...