Expert Testifies in Court: Dominion Voting Systems Easily Hackable

At a trial in Georgia, an expert on voting systems revealed alarming vulnerabilities in Dominion Voting Systems machines. Professor J. Alex Halderman, known for his detailed report on Dominion’s shortcomings, demonstrated the ease with which these machines could be hacked using a simple Bic pen and a smart card. According to Law360 Pulse’s coverage of the trial, Halderman showcased the ability to copy, edit, and alter votes within seconds.

The trial, which took place in Atlanta, stemmed from a case filed in 2017 by the Coalition for Good Governance, a liberal activist group, against the state of Georgia. The group argued that the state’s use of touch-screen computers without a verifiable print ballot made the voting counts susceptible to manipulation. Despite the change in voting vendor to Dominion in 2020, the Coalition for Good Governance continued to assert that the machines remained vulnerable to attacks.

Halderman’s demonstration began by inserting a pen into the Dominion voting machine, causing it to reboot into “safe mode.” This, he explained, allowed for the copying or changing of files, altering operating settings, and even installing malware on the machine. By accessing the “terminal emulator,” a user could gain “super-user” access, enabling the manipulation of anything on the voting machine with no limits. Halderman emphasized the simplicity of the process, stating, “All it takes is five seconds and a Bic pen.”

Furthermore, Halderman demonstrated the use of a “$10” smart card, which could be programmed to replicate cards used by poll workers, voters, and technicians to access the voting machines. These cards, once programmed, could be used county-wide to generate as many ballots as desired. Plaintiffs’ attorneys presented a video showing Halderman using a USB flash drive to alter votes, illustrating the undetectable nature of the changes.

The trial, initiated on January 9, involves a case from 2017 filed against members of the State Election Board and the then Georgia Republican Secretary of State Brian Kemp. U.S. District Court Judge Amy Totenberg is expected to issue a ruling in late spring or early summer.

While the plaintiffs clarified that their case is unrelated to the 2020 election and Dominion’s defamation lawsuits, the broader context includes Dominion’s defamation claims against news outlets like Fox News, Newsmax, and OANN. Fox News settled its litigation with Dominion in April 2023, paying $787 million, while Dominion’s lawsuit against Newsmax remains ongoing.

Newsmax, in response to Dominion’s claims, asserted that the Georgia trial underscores the ongoing public interest in the vulnerability of Dominion’s voting systems. Dominion, however, maintains that Halderman’s experiment did not occur in the real world and that existing election procedures mitigate the identified risks.

Despite assurances from Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger about the integrity of Dominion’s voting software, critics argue that the new system is not “voter-verifiable, secure, or reliable.” The aftermath of the 2020 election saw allegations of voter fraud and manipulation, particularly related to Dominion’s voting systems. However, no evidence was presented to support these claims, and all challenged states, including Georgia, deemed the election results as legal and final.

{Matzav.com}