flipping thru channels

I saw a few minutes of "Hacking Democracy" on cable. I was shocked, shocked when they simulated how easy it would be to hack into the central tabulation program of Diebold voting machines software.

It looked to my first glance as if the person who obtained the software (from an FTP site where it was mistakenly posted) watched as a person logged in as an administrator to what appeared to be an Access database.

Our national election results tabulated using the security of a desktop database program (with its security specifically purposely not tested when the software was tested). I mean, how secure are Office applications on a PC?

For more on this story, see Diebold demands that HBO cancel documentary on voting machines.

Reminded me of a story. Kevin D. Mitnick, a former hacker turned security consultant, co-authored a book on hacking exploits called The Art of Intrusion: The Real Stories Behind the Exploits of Hackers, Intruders & Deceivers.

In Chapter 1, a group of computer programmers in Vegas on a junket were challenged by a wife or girlfriend "You guys know all about computers. Can't you make it so these slot machines pay out money?" (paraphrased from memory)

So they took it as a challenge and solved problems creatively and intelligently (not brute force) to reach that outcome.

You might enjoy reading about it in this free PDF excerpt.  ¶ 11:37 AM