BBV: Electronic voting firm acknowledges hacker break-in

[Andy_Stephenson]

WASHINGTON -- A Bellevue, Wash., company developing security technology for electronic voting suffered an embarrassing hacker break-in that executives think was tied to the rancorous debate over the safety of casting ballots online.

VoteHere Inc. confirmed Monday that U.S. authorities are investigating a break-in of its computers months ago, when someone roamed its internal computer network. The intruder accessed internal documents and may have copied sensitive software blueprints that the company planned eventually to disclose publicly.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/aplocal_story.asp?category=6420&slug=Internet%20voting

[Myra]

1. This is huge!!!

Thank you for the link...and the great work you do.

Yes!

[Andy_Stephenson]

5. Well thanks

that is not my work...Just happened across the news article thought it was interesting.

A cryptography company that cannot secure it's own network is ironic indeed.

[Kelvin Mace]

12. Almost as ironic

as a banking security company with poor security.

David Allen
Plan Nine Publishing
www.plan9.org
www.blackboxvoting.com

Diebold, Inc.
Makers of voting stations with an unprecedented level of crappy security!

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

2. Clowning Clowns...

and Their Clownage(All apologies to Bob Summersby). For companies that base their business model on security, it seems that none of them can secure poop. Well, maybe poop, but certainly not their networks.

[PaDUer]

3. Great...

now, let's throw the bums out!

[gristy]

4. Good news.

Thank heavens for Andy and Bev!

[JohnGideon]

6. It's Interesting That This Has Come Out Now

and VoteHere is playing it for everything it is worth. This was reported by MSNBC too. It happened in Oct. according to that article and according to Jim Adler who was interviewed for the story.

The hacker supposedly entered through a hole that the company was meaning to patch but hadn't gotten to it yet. Likely story.

Citizens for Voting Integrity
blackboxvoting.org

[RedEagle]

8. Hmmmm, not patching is negligence, right?

Like the Election.com Canadian election that was blasted out due to the Slammer virus?

Negligence, incompetence, whatever, they don't deserve the consideration of counting our votes.

But, John, you're right, darn peculiar, especially for a company Ralph Munro said employed some of the best computer scientists around.

By the way, it's almost impossible to stop attacks. You can mitigate the damage they do, but that's not good enough with a voting system and certainly not the vapor votes sold by VoteHere.

Adler is saying this was politically motivated. Like, hackers are politically motivated? Watch them try to spin this against paper ballots. That should be interesting.

[JohnGideon]

9. Adler Links This Break-In To The Diebold FTP Break-In

He actually says he thinks it is the same person. What a maroon!

I wrote an email to the AP Reporter and asked him to dig deeper. He needs to look at the timing of this revelation. He needs to ask why, even though there was an agreement, VoteHere never gave their source code to Dr. Dill. He needs to ask why their security was not good enough. He needs to ask about the connection between Munro and Reed.

Will he ask? No! Probably not.

[Andy_Stephenson]

10. No but I might...

What is the connection?

[goforit]

14. Hmmmm......we need to set the hackers up and catch them w/ a net.

Smile you're on "Candid Camera"!!!!

[GAspnes]

7. Damn, you beat me to it.

This was just posted at the San Jose Merc too. "Irony" doesn't begin to describe it.

[BevHarris]

11. My take on this: Total bullshit -- and listen up:

First, the idea that a company who specializes in encryption gets hacked is rather idiotic. If that's true, they need to step out of the arena for good, because the only product they were offering was encryption to "protect" our votes.

Now, what many of you might not know is that the VoteHere source code has been used in entrapment attempts. Specifically, with me, and I documented the entrapment effort at the time. Pure bullshit, retaliatory crap designed to find a way to get activists to shut up.

Next, it is not surprising they will try to link it to the Diebold files. But in my opinion, that's bullshit, too, and here's why:

The FTP site wasn't hacked, it was sitting there. Look in any user manual and you'll see the address.

The memos weren't hacked either, they were obtained with an employee ID number.

Now, are you ready for this? I've had dealings with both the Diebold memo leaker and this supposed "VoteHere" hacker. The second person is NOT the same as the first, and I won't reveal why I know that for a fact, but I am dead-certain of this.

This "VoteHere" hacker tried to dump the VoteHere source code on me; it was simply dumb; first of all, VoteHere was supposed to be going public with its source code, so who in their right mind would want to steal it. I certainly didn't want to touch it.

Then this "VoteHere" hacker agreed to a telephone interview with me. He made some claims about who he was, but was unaware that I had additional information from inside sources that would allow me to test the veracity of his claims. The first question I asked was a test question; he put me on "hold" and then came back and offered a lame-ass guess which immediately caused him to fail the ID contest.

I believe this is going to turn into an entrapment scheme. Some activist somewhere is going to get nailed, probably that's already in the works. That's because they were running around offering this honey pot and, unfortunately, someone naive probably bit on it.

I'm going on the Mike Webb show at 11 p.m. Pacific to discuss this at more length. And by the way: Heads up, Mr. Ralph Munro, former Washington State secretary of state and current Chairman of VoteHere. We will be discussing you on Mike Webb too, if I get my way.

RedEagle: Any info on which of the three have formal ethics complaints lodged against them at this time?
1) Ralph Munro
2) Sam Reed (current Washington Secy' State)
3) David Elliott (Washington State Elections Director)

I'd like the facts on that before going on the air tonight.

Bev Harris

[Myra]

13. Thanks Bev. In that case perhaps God_bush_n_cheney should edit his post?

Because, it's frankly pretty confusing to have a person
from BBV promoting this story, then have you discredit it.

Thanks.
And I'll listen to you on Mike Webb.

[BevHarris]

17. I'm not discrediting it. Me and gbnc are in sync

His point is it is idiotic for an encryption company to get hacked.

My point is it is also not entirely likely that it got hacked.

[alfredo]

15. The story has just hit slashdot.

It would be good for someone to get over there to clear up any misconceptions.

[RedEagle]

16. Well, We'd Like Those Misconceptions Cleared Up Too

Either way, it does not reflect well on VoteHere.

Can't keep from getting hacked,

or

Trying to claim they were hacked for other reasons?

Want a company like that dealing with your vote?


Did they get the hacker or someone downline from the hacker? I would hope it takes someone real sophisticated to hack into a company like that, that uses the services of an Internet security company, I think. Way, way beyond the capabilities of most BBV or other voting activist types.

[TinfoilHatProgrammer]

31. I refuse to accept any more claims based only on your say-so

Is the Diebold hacker the same person as the VoteHere hacker? As usual, "Bev knows but won't tell". And all the true believers take it on faith. Hallelujah, can I get an amen?

I'm still waiting patiently on my book. To be hand-delivered, no less! I'll take a picture of us together when you get here and post it on the internet so that nobody will think it was just another one of your unsupported, made-up claims.

(Also: it doesn't count if you just print out a bunch of pdf files on your own printer and staple it all together or throw it in a binder or something. I was promised a book, dammit, and that's what I want.)

And just for the record, your claim that "the idea that a company who specializes in encryption gets hacked is rather idiotic" is rather, well, idiotic. Companies that specialize in security are targets for hackers. I would hazard a guess that VoteHere's network and web site are probably not implemented using their own products, or maintained by their programmers -- thus any problems in either of those areas, while embarrassing, are unlikely to be representative of their own product. You can probably infer that their network support staff is somewhat lackadaisacal, but not much more.

Finally, I'm gratified to see that you want to get some facts straight before going on the air tonight. I'm guessing this is some kind of early new year's resolution and I congratulate you for it. :thumbsup:

JC

[Andy_Stephenson]

42. TFHP

What facts have you ever presented? I believe Bev has backed up her claims a plenty. You on the otherhand have never refuted the evidence presented. If you can refute the evidence...please do so or backoff.

What exactly is your agenda? What vote counting manufacturer do you work for? Or are you employed by the group doing damage control for them? Either way you are really becoming tiresome. So for the time being I am putting you in the iggy bin. Sort of a time out for bad behavior.

[TinfoilHatProgrammer]

52. backed up her claims aplenty?

Nonsense. I have refuted every inaccurate technical claim Bev has ever presented, and if you are actually unaware of that fact then I strongly suggest you search through some old threads. Or ask Bev. She knows.

Bev does not back up her claims aplenty. She typically words most of her ramblings as a combination of blatant rhetoric and suggestive innuendo that implies certain things and lets the reader draw the intended conclusion without Bev ever making the claim herself. Other times, like here, she does make a claim and backs it up with nothing more substantial than "Bev knows but isn't telling." These days, vote-counting hardware and software aren't even on the agenda -- the whole BBV effort has devolved into nothing more useful or interesting than a smear campaign against various individuals and a shameless self-promotion campaign for Ms. Harris and her brave crew. Case in point: VoteHere is hacked by someone (I do not pretend to know who) and -- of course -- it's all nothing more than a clumsy trap by the voting industry to trap Bev Harris, who is much too clever to fall for it. And thank goodness for that, because it sounds from her post like there's a lot more character assassination work to be done.

I have never claimed to work for a vote counting manufacturer (or in the voting industry at all, for that matter) -- it's just another claim that Ms. Harris made up. And why are you asking who I work for? You know full well that Bev claims to know everything relevant about me, including my name and address, my employer, and (oddly) the temperament of my mother. You are the ones who accuse me of working for a manufacturer of voting equipment... it's the typical BBV tactic of smearing someone who doesn't agree with the ridiculous conspiracy theories being floated.

As for my agenda, it amuses me to point out the flaws in the logic and technical *cough* "analysis" *cough* of the BBV brigade. There's nothing more sinister to it than that. Alas, the days of posting random Polish web sites as "proof" of malicious vote-rigging code or nefarious remote control/access exploits are long gone. These days all we get are reports on the tireless efforts of you and Ms. Harris to stalk various Diebold employees at their homes, criminal histories of random people in the industry, and promotion of the "book" that never seems to actually come out.

My post above pointed out the obvious flaw in Bev's logic, in which she infers things about the security of the VoteHere product (as programmed by its software developers) from the security whatever third-party web/network product they use internally (as maintained by their network administration staff). The two things are most likely unrelated, and while the hacking of their network is embarrassing (and fairly amusing) it is illogical and irresponsible to form an evaluation of their product from it. But you can't refute that intelligently, so leave me on ignore and just keep drinking Bev's kool-aid.

Also, it's Tuesday now and I still don't have my book. When is it coming out again?

JC

[Cocoa]

53. shows how full of it you are

those were Czech websites. :-)

I totally forgot about that. Oh, boy. Getting those pages translated was an emergency operation, people were waking up their poor Czech neighbors in the middle of the night. :-)

[Andy_Stephenson]

54. Oh look another bad penny...

that always seems to turn up. Why don't you join TFHP in the iggy bin.

[bobbyboucher]

58. You don't sound too open-minded,

you sound more like an attack dog. Most here wouldn't be sooooo very dismissive of what Bev and the others have done without reason. What is your reason?

If your goal is to cast doubt and cloud the water, nice job. If that's not your goal, what is?

[BevHarris]

59. Not in your best form, are you tinfoil?

At times, you have rapier-sharp wit, verbal precision, and sarcastic finesse. Your recent posts are somewhat boring, but I'll respond to the following so that the newly initiated can assess your own credibility:

"criminal histories of random people in the industry"

"random people" --

1) Jeffrey W. Dean, who had keys to the King County computer room, the passcode to the GEMS computer, and 24-hour access to the building, and, according to the Diebold memos, programmed the 1.96 version of the optical scan, was involved with the Windows CE program used on the touch screens, programmed a ballot on demand program with the optional ability to connect the serial number on a ballot to a voter, thus denying the voter his privacy; he also had access to the voter registration system, the printing of punch cards and optical scan ballots, and the sorting of absentee ballots.

This "random person" was the senior vice president of Diebold predecessor Global Election Systems, and sat on the board of directors, from 2000 through 2001, and continued as a paid consultant for Diebold in 2002.

Said "random person" was convicted of 23 counts of felony theft, embezzling from a law firm using sophisticated computer fraud. Following his prison term, he came out and programmed our votes. As a felon, in Washington State, he is not allowed to vote but he was allowed unfettered access to the votes of 800,000 citizens.

2) John Elder, currently the head of the printing division for Diebold Election Systems; prints punch cards and ballots, and outsources the handling of incoming absentee ballots to a firm he also worked for at one time.

The main attack point for punch cards is the printer, who can selectively set the die cut to dislodge some chads more easily than others.

Said "random person" is a convicted cocaine trafficker who sold drugs around school yards at the age of 30-something.

3) Michael K. Graye, who was a founder of Global Election Systems and its director for two years. Stole $18 million from four businesses, and when he was arrested and bail was set at $1 million, he raised bail by bilking investors in a Hong Kong-based shell company. Before he could serve his sentence on this, he was sent to prison in the U.S. on stock fraud, did four years there, and upon returning to Canada, confessed to stealing $18 million, tax fraud, and if memory serves me correctly, money laundering. He is currently in jail in Canada.

4) Charles Hong Lee, not exactly a convicted felon; he was the business partner of Michael K. Graye, and was ordered to pay $550,000 in restitution for fraudulent stock transactions. He and Graye were also accused of bilking Chinese immigrants out of unauthorized fees to the tune of another $600,000. He was a founder of Global Election Systems, and presided over the hiring of two of Diebold's current key programmers.

5) Norton Cooper, was convicted of defrauding the Canadian government and played a rather large role in the collapse of the Vancouver Stock Exchange, so frequently did his dealings turn sour. He was the promoter of the early Global Election Systems.

Now, my point is this: Suppose you have a voting company founded by three fraudsters. You want to clean this company up and make it respectable, since these fraudsters' illegal escapades keep getting written up in the likes of Forbes, Barrons, and the Vancouver Sun. So you boot them out the door and clean up your act.

All this is very nice, until you go out and hire two more convicted felons and install one of them (a 23-count embezzler who specializes in computer fraud) on your board of directors, making him head of research and development for your company.

The first three might have been a blotch on your corporate genealogy, but when you went out and hired two more and gave them key positions in high-risk security areas, you just blew it.

Diebold welcomed Jeffrey Dean aboard as a consultant, saying it was looking forward to his continued "expertise." Diebold still employs John Elder.

Would you have the above crew programming your banking transactions? Why allow them access to your votes?

Oh, and the book: I said I'd deliver it, but then you said not to. Am I invited or not?

Bev

[TinfoilHatProgrammer]

61. make up your mind

You crack me up, lol. First you said you were delivering the book. Hand-delivering it in person, no less. I ask almost daily where it is. I offered to take a picture when you get here and post it on the internet so people won't think you're crazy. I have never once told you not to come. Stop making things up.

Your other stuff is fascinating. Really. Five convicted felons. Wait... now we're down to four felons, if I read your last post correctly. Another quiet Bev Harris retraction, apparently.

This isn't news, it's just a rehash of the character assassination you've already posted. It also isn't especially relevant to anything. I'm curious about exactly when Charles Hong Lee, Michael K. Graye and Norton Cooper last had anything to do with Diebold. Or Global Election Systems. I'm also curious what role, if any, that any of these individuals had in the development of the touch-screen voting terminals that you complain about with such annoying frequency. And what role, if any, they had in the development of the GEMS product. Ditto for this Jeffrey W. Dean character. Wait... I guess you say he programmed the optical scan machines, not the touch screens. I'd settle for a demonstration of that, in his case. As for the other guy, shame on Diebold for apparently keeping him around and letting him print stuff. Maybe they ought to replace him... I'd recommend getting whoever publishes your "book" but it'd be a shame when they had to cancel all the elections in Washington state when the ballots never actually got printed.

You seem a little down. Why not take a break, come on down here where it's warm and deliver my damn book? I'll make you some iced tea and we can debate why a bunch of counties in Ohio, with full access to all the relevant information (including your "book" and all your internet raving, as well as a software evaluation commissioned by the state) apparently just selected Diebold to supply their new voting equipment.

Happy new year!

JC

[ParanoidPat]

18. There's something not quite right about this........

.....from the article,

"We caught the intruder, identified him by name. We know where he lives," Adler said. "We think this is political. There have been break-ins around election companies over the last several months, and we think this is related."

O.K., Let me get this straight. This happened in October, they caught the guy, know his name and where he lives, and two months later they still haven't arrested him or seized his computer? :shrug:

I have to wonder :wtf: they're waiting for.
Could this be another case of someone accessing an open server on the Internet without any password protection?
IOW, Was the site "hacked" or did someone just poke around the site and stumble upon this stuff like they did at Diebold?
Could the fact that there's been no arrest warrant issued mean that no laws were actually broken?
Why would they go public before an arrest, risking tipping off the person, and allowing time for evidence to be destroyed?
What "hacker" worth his weight in spam would break into a computer without using a Trojan horse program to mask their identity? Even teenage script kiddies know better than that!
Could this be a setup of one or more of the BBV activists via a 'spoofed' IP address?
Why would a company that develops 'security' (read encryption) programs not have enough sense to encrypt sensitive data that must be accessible via the Internet? Come on guys, surely you've heard of PGP! It's a free download and will protect your files should a hacker brute force or steal a password.
Does the use of the phrase "and may have copied" indicate that their security is so lax that they don't even keep logs of what data has been transfered and to who?
Should we as voters be worried that the companies responsible for securing our votes can't seem to secure their own work? (Sorry, rhetorical question! :eyes: )

Lots of questions not many answers. Yep, somethings not quite right about this. I've got a feeling there's a lot more to come. :(

Be careful Andy, I've got a really bad feeling about this. :scared:

[Andy_Stephenson]

20. I could not hack out of a wet

paper bag with a machete. My computer skills are user only. Everyone who knows me knows this. It would be foolish to accuse me because I can trot out 50 witnesses that can attest to the extreme lack of computer skills I have. I can turn it on...update when needed post here and check email. Oh and sim city runs in the background all the time.

[ParanoidPat]

21. I didn't think YOU did it! LOL!

I KNOW I didn't do it either! I followed a link from DU to their site some time ago but I didn't look around too much. Mainly their home page to see what they're about. There have been a few posts here by the same person advocating the hacking of the 2004 election to 'get their attention'. Someone even posted here looking for a hacker. I just let him know that no real hacker would respond to such a post. :)

I'm sure Bev's right, this is a lame attempt at a setup.

[Andy_Stephenson]

23. Lame

but now they have publicly stated they can be hacked. It would be almost funny if it were not so seriousa security breach.

[BevHarris]

22. Good to see you on the thread, PP. Yeah. This smells mighty funny

Timing is interesting too. Coincides with some discomfort in the area of ethics and proper conduct when in office, relating to the VoteHere Chairman.

Woop-- look over here, we laid out a honey pot for an activist and they dipped in and we think we caught them.

Note also they are apparently trying to say this is the person who leaked the Diebold memos. Nice try.

Bev

[ParanoidPat]

26. Good to see you too Bev!

:hi: Smells positively desperate to me! Why the hell would a 'security' company publicly expose their dismal failure of security unless someone thought there would be a massive gain in some area?
It will be interesting to see who they name as the "hacker". :evilgrin:

I'm not a hacker, not even a 'white hat' one. :) (But you knew that already.)

[bpilgrim]

30. you raise a lot of good points

i am not suprised to hear a cracker got in their network, nor that they may have accessed their code that they were planning on releasing to the public anyways especially being in active developement i wouldn't be suprised at all by it NOT being encrypted but i am suprised that they are going public.

that is against the norm for sure ESPECIALLY for a digital security company they are betting their whole reputation on going public with something like this.

i agree, i smell a rat... they are getting ready to take somebody out.

the question is who? :shrug:

peace

[BevHarris]

33. They may be looking to take somebody out ... or ...

there are configurations of events which would involve cashing in. A combination of desperation and a sense of entitlement could produce enough motive to persuade someone to take a fall. Or, they might just have been hacked.

We shall see what we shall see.

Bev

[bpilgrim]

60. more like AND

or all of the above.

but they are definately going after someone and it doesn;t necessarily have to be a 'hacker' just a convienent lable to put on someone who is getting too close :shrug:

keep us posted and keep up the good fight :toast:

peace

[bvar22]

19. Why would VoteHere accuse the hacker of Political Motives???

Does VoteHere have a Political Preference or Political Agenda??

If VoteHere is a pure techno-business, how could they suffer Political Damage?

[ConsAreLiars]

32. Indeed

Nice catch. If they claim that someone intent on revealing what they are actually doing is politically motivated, then they are also claiming that what they are actually doing has political significance.

[shawn703]

24. The more secure you supposedly are

The more likely you'll be attacked by a really good hacker. Which is why they would keep anything that absolutely can not be compromised disconnected from any networks. Still, the stuff that still ends up on connected resources often makes you wonder what could possibly be hidden on those disconncted computers.

[BevHarris]

25. Well, according to the supposed "hacker"

they were basically unprotected.

Methinks not. Methinks the timing doth too convenient for a certain former secretary of state, current VoteHere chairman who is getting into a bit of a pickle right about now.

Bev

[Generic Other]

27. So, does someone think Andy is an evil hacker?

Is that why he gets followed to work by strange men in trenchcoats?

[Andy_Stephenson]

28. No I get followed by strange men in trenchcoats

cause I'm damn sexy!

[ParanoidPat]

29. OMG! Bev, Andy!

You need a good laugh? Check out this line from the MSNBC 'exclusive'!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3825143

“Everything isn’t the ‘Pentagon Papers,’” he said, referring to the famous case involving leaked Pentagon documents on the Vietnam War. “The ends do not justify the means, in most cases.”

LOL! Now where have I heard that comparison before? :evilgrin:

In MOST cases indeed! I'm glad he qualified that. :)

[JohnGideon]

34. Let's Look At The Timing and Some Facts

First as to the timing of this revelation. Just a little over two weeks ago our Sec. of State (Washington) announced that he was going to submit legislation for a paper "trail". What wasn't reported as well is that he is also adding words to allow "voter verification software" as a possibility in lieu of the paper "trail". Who writes this voter verification software? VoteHere is the company.

VoteHere just named our recent ex-SoS as their new Chairman of the Board.

Our SoS made his announcement on the morning of Bev and Andy's Press Conference thus taking the press away from them.

So, suddenly VoteHere holds a press conference to announce that they were hacked and states that they have known about it for two months and just decided to come clean today. Something stinks here.

Now on the facts. Jim Adler seemed to say that whatever the hacker found is not that big an issue because their code was going to be put into the public anyway. Well, if you look at articles written in Sept. VoteHere was telling everyone that they were heros because they had given David Dill their code to put on verifiedvoting.org for everyone to see. They never did that. Adler has lied twice on that count.

http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2003/09/08/story2.html?page=3
"Meanwhile, VoteHere is trying to head off attacks on its verification technology by disclosing the
protocols, mathematics and some of the source code to Dill, the Stanford University professor. Dill, in
turn, agreed to post the information on the Internet and subject it to a rigorous, public review."

These articles were written as a way to deflect people away from the Dan Spillane lawsuit against VoteHere.

blackboxvoting.org

[BevHarris]

35. The MSNBC story has some especially interesting bits

If you are to believe anything they say. According to Adler in the MSNBC article, the "hacker" hit a "trip wire" and the feds were following his every move as he hacked VoteHere, then observed him.

OK. So does that mean they observed him contacting me or did they instigate him contacting me, or have the feds just been handed a big line of hooey?

So if they were observing him while hacking and observing him afterwards, why not arrest him?

You know, I often comment to my husband that if someone is going to write propaganda, we'd all appreciate it if they get a better writer.

Bev

P.S. and thanks, Big John, for the timeline. Instead of "weasel clause," we might as well call these back-doors out of voter-verified paper ballot bills the "VoteHere" clause.

[Andy_Stephenson]

36. Good Job tonight Bev.

BTW who was that articulate intelligent sounding man in the Studio with you and Mike?

[BevHarris]

37. You were indeed intelligent and articulate

So how did it feel to be a featured guest on the Mike Webb Show, rather than a caller?

You did great.

[Andy_Stephenson]

38. I was relaxed...not nervous

and I felt like I have this Radio thing down now. Mike is a great host too.

[ParanoidPat]

39. Good job BOTH of you!

Did anyone get the show on tape? I tried to listen and record the stream to my drive at the same time and wound up with only the Winamp link on the drive. :(
The CD recorder was in use making a copy of the audio of the meeting with Kevin Shelly from earlier this month. Is there an archive somewhere that I can record the show from?

[Andy_Stephenson]

40. I will be able to get a tape

Tomorrow. It was recorded.

[ParanoidPat]

41. Great!

If you want I can rip it to an MP3 at whatever resolution you want. I can also burn it as a CDA (CD Audio) file if you prefer. We have the technology! :evilgrin:

[Andy_Stephenson]

43. Um...I will rip an MP3

not sure I know what you mean about resolution...but I will record it as best I can.

[ParanoidPat]

45. RE: resolution....

.....MP3's can be ripped at anywhere from 16 Kilohertz (low resolution mono) to IIRC, 196 Kilohertz (high resolution stereo). For a basic 'talk show' format, 16K Mono is fine! It also cuts down on the bandwidth used for people listening or downloading the file. If the program still has all of the commercials and station breaks, rip it at a little higher resolution (28K or so) so I can edit it down to just the program without too much loss of quality. Better yet, if you have a dual cassette deck, make an edited copy before you rip it to MP3.

[Andy_Stephenson]

46. I am gonna have to figure out how to hook the recorder

to my computer. I will probably use the laptop because it might be easier to handle. As soon as I have it recorded tomy HD I will let you know.

Now I am off to bed.

Nite Nite.

[ParanoidPat]

47. Thanks Andy!

Sleep well!

[Bushfire]

44. Graham's legislation should also pick up publicity when Congress gets back

in session, furthering the BBV cause. Hopefully they will study up on the issue over recess, and sign up as co-sponsors like gangbusters. The timing of this story couldn't be more convenient.

[dusty64]

48. The evidence keeps

piling up yet our election officials still have their heads up the extreme rightwing companies butts. Whats really going on here?

[Walt Starr]

49. The concern for security by these companies is staggering

/sarcasm

[SaddenedDem]

50. Let's not make asses of ourselves

Come on folks! This is nuts and nearly everyone on this thread looks like a fool.

An internet web site is NOT the same thing as the corporate software development server. The fact that VoteHere's WEB SITE got hacked has absolutely NO BEARING on security within the company.

I have a company computer. I RENT space on the internet for my web site. THE TWO ARE NOT THE SAME. A breach of security on my web site has NOTHING to do with the security of my company computer.

These folks have led some people on this thread down a primrose path by leaving out some very important facts. In doing so, they make everyone who participated in this look the fool.

Sad....

[BevHarris]

51. It wasn't their web site that got "hacked" (if anything did)

supposedly someone hacked into their network and nabbed the VoteHere source code. And then, started shopping the source code around, trying to send it to activists.

Any time we are sent "tips" and files, we have to be aware that they could be what's called a "honey pot" -- a trap. Honey pots can be simply fake information -- go public with it and they expose you and discredit everything else you say. Or, a honey pot can contain a trojan horse or a virus. A honey pot can also be the digital equivalent to a dropsy gun or planting a packet of white stuff on you -- they find it on your computer and say you have "stolen" property and you get busted.

There were a couple things that got my antennas way up, when the "hacker" came forward trying to peddle "VoteHere source code" to me. Actually, about a dozen things. You learn to listen to your instincts. And besides, who cares about VoteHere source code anyway? Even if it was leaked, not hacked, I wouldn't have wasted any time on it.

This story smells, and I'd love to see it boomerang right back.

Bev

[Generic Other]

55. Caught you and Andy on KIRO last night

Bev and Andy, you both sounded informed and sharp! You should be on the prime time news though.

It seems as if there's plenty of cause for concern in our state.

And Bev, you have good instincts, girl. I remember the discussions about the VoteHere info back in Oct. I hope someone saved the threads, because I distinctly recall Bev saying she wouldn't touch those files with a ten foot pole.

Who the hell was supposed to be using those backdoors if not hackers? These are secret passages, safety hatches. Hackers don't create these escape routes. The one who builds the castle leaves the hole for whatever reason.

So, now that VoteHere has played the "hacker" card, exposed their product's deficiencies, and joined forces with Diebold, what do they do for an encore? What do they stand to gain by this move? I have been puzzling over these questions all morning.

Time to come clean with the voters.

[RedEagle]

56. Who Takes the Fall?

Is it Bill Owens, who was CEO at the time?

Or is this an attempt to funnel the attention to the hacker and not the ability of the system to be hacked?

And to reference a point in a post above, while the hack may have occured via the net and not necessarily the system, VH says sensitive material may have been retrieved, but more importantly, the net is the delivery system for Internet voting, a product near and dear to VH's heart.

And why, why wait several months to come out with this? Was someone somewhere else threatening to tell?

So many questions. This one is very strange.

[RedEagle]

57. Apparently made the New York Times

Kick!