Follow My Vote has secured a copy of the original alert released by the FBI’s Cyber Division.

Which State Election Databases Got Hacked?

Right now we are not getting any official confirmation on which states had their systems hacked. Without mentioning specifics, The FBI alert reports that two states had their Board of Election databases compromised. Recent events however, give us all the clues we need.

On July 13, 2016, officials in Illinois went as far as to shut down the entire state’s voter registration system for 10 days.

During the breach, hackers were able to steal the personal data of 200,000 registered Illinois voters. This information aligns perfectly with what is described in the flash alert concerning a breach and theft of data. It’s likely the alert is referring to the Illinois hack.

The second hack can likely be attributed to Arizona. On or around June 30, 2016, The Arizona Secretary of State’s Office shut down part of their voter registration system due to finding malicious software on a computer used to log into the state’s voter registration system.

The Arizona breach is slightly less serious, as no data was stolen.

The Breach

The hack described in the FBI alert is a SQL injection. This type of attack is carried out by adding SQL (Structured Query Language) code to forms or input locations to gain access to backend data. SQL injections are currently the most common type of website hack. An attacker can often gain easy access to websites and their servers by entering code that the form does not expect to be inserted. The form will easily deny a wrong password or username, but when confronted with a totally different type of request, it opens a vulnerability. Specifically, it can allow hackers to view, manipulate, or steal all of the backend data.

Who Is Responsible?

We are not sure. There are 8 IP addresses listed in the alert as sources of the attacks. One of these IP addresses was listed as a source for both attacks, supporting the theory that one organization was behind both attacks.

An additional theory that is circulating the internet is that Russian hackers are responsible. The evidence behind this theory stems from a previous emergence of one of these IP addresses on a Russian hacker forum.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Some people are in favor of paper voting systems. It seems logical because hackers can’t manipulate or steal the information in the same manner. This is true. However, paper based voting systems are fantastic at negating all transparency. They create black boxes where you will never know if your vote was counted or got discarded. Top this off with human error and a small number of people counting the ballots, and elections easily become inadequate tools for true representation.

Ultimately, we need more transparency and better voting technology. Follow My Vote is dedicated to advancing and reforming voting technology around the world. The United States is one of many countries that are in dire need of innovation in the voting sector.

“These attacks are yet another reminder that something must be done to secure our election systems. If people can’t trust our elections systems, they are going to be much less likely to vote. Follow My Vote’s blockchain-based voting software is a complete end-to-end system that supports secure identity verification, voter registration, anonymous ballot issuance, verifiable vote casting, and tallying results. Blockchain voting is the future. The time is now!”

– Adam Kaleb Ernest, Co-Founder & CEO – Follow My Vote

This is a massive wake up call for a lot of people, especially following the Democratic National Convention hack. Those in the election industry have been aware of the lack of security. They have stood by watching voting machines get compromised and de-certified one after another.

Now is the time for innovative technology to help us vote better. We are at a point where we can use the tools of the past or use the tools of the future.

Learn about our Technology and get involved!

About the author: Will Long is the Marketing Manager of Follow My Vote.

The post Breaking: Two State Election Databases Hacked appeared first on Follow My Vote.

The implications of allowing government access to encryption goes far beyond just Apple. Any software company or developer that uses encryption to protect their right to privacy would potentially be affected. For example, Follow My Vote relies on encryption to ensure voter privacy. Many of the great applications and software being built today would become extraneous without the reliance of encryption.

“The government is asking Apple to hack our own users and undermine decades of security advancements that protect our customers — including tens of millions of American citizens — from sophisticated hackers and cybercriminals”

– Tim Cook, Apple CEO

“What is the FBI seeking here? First, the FBI is demanding that Apple make a new software product. Second, that software product would have to be designed in accordance with specifications provided to Apple by the FBI. Third, once Apple created that software product, it would have to test the product to ensure it met Apple’s own quality standards. Fourth and finally, Apple would have to test and validate this software product so that criminal defendants would be able to exercise their constitutional rights to challenge the government’s legal claims as provided by the Federal Rules of Evidence (FRE).”

– John Eden, TechCrunch

So far, a magistrate judge has ordered Apple to build a new iOS so the terrorist suspect’s information can be removed by the FBI. The FBI is citing the All Writs Act of 1789 to make Apple comply. Apple has filed a Motion to Vacate (MTV) the judge’s ruling, citing long-term security concerns of allowing the FBI a master key.

With prominent talk show hosts attempting to tackle this complex issue, the case is beginning to pick up national coverage. WIRED has taken a deep dive into new documents that have surfaced in the past few days. There does not appear to be an easy solution to this problem and many believe that this case could eventually make its way to the Supreme Court. Follow My Vote will be monitoring the progress of this saga closely. Due to the high profile nature of this case, the future of encryption technology is truly hanging in the balance.

About the author: Tyler Molihan is a Marketing Intern at Follow My Vote. He hopes to increase awareness about the benefits of online voting systems.

The post The FBI v. Apple: The Future of Encryption Technology appeared first on Follow My Vote.