Diebold Security Foiled Again

XenoPhage writes "Yet again, Diebold has shown their security prowess. This time they posted, on their website, a picture of the actual key used to open all of their Diebold voting machines. Ross Kinard of Sploitcast crafted three keys based on this photo. Amazingly enough, two of the three keys successfully opened one of the voting machines. But fear not, Diebold has removed the offending picture, replacing it with a picture of their digital card key. Take that, hackers!"

Google

[Daemonstar]

Diebold has removed the offending picture

However, it remains (scaled down) in Google's image cache. :) Might not be of much use, but it is there.

Re:Still in business

[drinkypoo]

What's with Diebold? Why don't they die?

I believe the following will explain: "The company came under fire last year for a letter that Diebold CEO Walden O'Dell wrote as a fundraising pitch to Republicans. In the letter, O'Dell said he was "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president." Diebold is based in North Canton, Ohio." (http://money.cnn.com/2004/08/30/technology/electi on_diebold/index.htm [cnn.com])

Frankly no one in power really seems to want a fair election. If they did, they'd be fighting these e-voting machines all the way - as there is absolutely no need for them.

It's a pin-based lock?

[RyanFenton]

As long as it's a normal lock, like 90+% of the locks out there (likely including your own front door), then Lock bumping [wikipedia.org] is going to allow just about any person, regardless of skill, to defeat the lock using extremely simple tools, in a matter of seconds, likely with no signs of intrusion at all.

Ryan Fenton

What concerns me even more

[Iphtashu Fitz]

... is the fact that Diebold also manufacturs ATMs. Makes me wonder if my bank account is safe...

Bait and switch?

[Anonymous Coward]

Did anyone else notice that the key used to open the machine in the video is significantly different than the keys in the photo?

Re:It's a pin-based lock?

[morgan_greywolf]

And if it's not an it uses a registered or otherwise restricted key blank, like, say, a mailbox or P.O. Box key, then bumping is next to impossible because you simply can't get a blank without permission.

Re:Its from the please-think-then-vote dept.

[PeeAitchPee]

Perhaps you can explain why Maryland's previous Republican governor Robert Ehrlich fought against the Diebold machines tooth and nail, even asking for millions of dollars instead to support a traditional election process, only to have them rammed down his throat by the (Democratic) MD legislature and state board of elections? Our state elections administrator, Democrat Linda H. Lamone is still fighting their removal and even against adding a paper trail! [gazette.net] Hell, she doesn't even want printers because she says adding printers to the existing equipment "would disrupt the voting system."

If you think the Republicans are the only ones who want to use Diebold machines to manipulate votes, you're an idiot.

Google link

[SpaceLifeForm]

Link [google.com]

Re:Still in business

[mspohr]

Actually, GM, Firestone, and Standard Oil went around to various cities and bought up the trolley lines, ripped out the tracks and replaced them with GM buses.

I believe they called it a "triumph of the free market". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_street car_conspiracy [wikipedia.org]

Re:Google

[daddymac]

boingboing has a copy of the pic here [boingboing.net].

Take a look again

[Anonymous Coward]

The key is clearly visible 4 seconds into the video and the features appear to match the diebold photo almost exactly. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfGvSJA20-Y [youtube.com]

Re:Still in business

[Tapi]

"But fear not, Diebold has removed the offending picture, replacing it with a picture of their digital card key. Take that, hackers!" Two words: Google Cache?