IT professionals and software experts are coming forward to share how the controversial Dominion Voting Systems (Dominion) can be hacked. They also call into question components within Dominion shared by other voting systems.
The Tennessee Star interviewed career IT professional and security software expert Garland Favorito to learn more about vulnerabilities within Dominion Voting Systems’ software in Georgia.
Favorito created the Georgia-based nonprofit, nonpartisan volunteer organization that aims to preserve election integrity: Voters Organized for Trusted Election Results in Georgia (VOTER GA). The organization reviews and seeks to reform voting practices in Georgia.
Favorito asserted that issues with voting have come down to two main sources: signature verification for mail-in voting, and the electronic voting software. He expressed confidence in the decision by Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to audit ballots by hand.
“Whether or not the software was tabulated correctly will be made apparent in the audit,” he said.
In regard to the internet connectivity within these voting systems, Favorito explained that having one central hub made the entire state’s voting processes vulnerable.
“In Georgia, all the systems are simply programmed. In 2017, the systems were found to be exposed to the internet. The way that Georgia’s simplified distribution system works is that it is a singular area of attack,” he said. Any hacker who compromised Georgia’s simple election preparation system can control any election in any county in any of their voting systems. If the hacker gets into the state simple computer, they can put malware on that computer, and then it will be automatically downloaded further into the voting machines without anyone knowing – it’s undetectable.”
When The Star asked if there existed any means of discovering these hacks, Favorito stated that it would be very difficult.
“You would have to have some type of forensic access to the computers, and the Secretary of State’s office has fought that dramatically in the U.S. District court lawsuit. I think this is the biggest vulnerability in Georgia’s system,” he said. “And it is virtually unreported, so it’s virtually unknown to most Georgians.”
In the week before Election Day, all of Georgia’s voting systems received a system update. Apparently, government officials don’t have total knowledge of what these updates include.
“The Secretary of State’s office has a general idea of what it includes, but I don’t believe they have the technical capability to verify what is in the updates is correct,” he said. “So, I believe they are taking it for granted to a large decree.
Raffensperger awarded Dominion a $100 million contract for their voting system last year.
Georgia’s new Dominion systems have presented glitches and delays throughout this year. This past week, Georgia has experienced more of the same issues. The resulting or coincidental voting irregularities have sowed doubt in the election’s integrity.
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Corinne Murdock is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and the Star News Network. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to [email protected].
