a pioneering spirit. Bravado. Coolness. All of that blew around the Post, as they announced in February a hardness test for its E-Voting solution: The most sophisticated hackers in the world should try to crack the System. “I sleep well,” said the E-Voting-in-chief of the Post at the time of this newspaper.
Four weeks later, the rest is there. On Friday, the Post has decided to pull its E-Voting System from the market – temporarily, as it says in a message. To the seriousness of the security vulnerabilities that have come in the last few weeks. Vital functions of the new system were, in part, set.
With an attack could have been made the votes invalid.
Also in the System of the older Generation, in the cantons of Basel-Stadt, Thurgau, Fribourg and neuchâtel already in operation, was a critical vulnerability found: the attackers could have cast votes so that this would become invalid. Occurred but, apparently, never. Nevertheless, the E-Voting the Post at the next nationwide ballot of 19. May not are now available.
The Post sought yesterday to contain the damage. She stressed that it is in the hacker test, nobody had managed to crack the notarized ballot box and to change previously submitted votes. The faulty source code should now and then “again from the independent experts” checked corrected. On demand, a spokesperson tells the Post have to choose “voluntarily”, your System to suspend.
The Federal government is at a distance
insiders contradict this representation. Apparently there was behind-the-Scenes considerable pressure on the Post. Does your System back, it would have risked that the Federal government prohibits, in turn, its use.
for E-Voting Federal law firm yesterday went at a distance to the Post office. As of mid-March, was discovered the first critical vulnerability in the System, the language, the Federal Chancellery, only that you’ll have to check processes. Now, you said that a location determination will be made to E-Voting. In addition to the certification of the approval processes we wanted to examine whether there is “a need for action at the legislative level,” says René Lenzin the Federal Chancellery. With other words: The Federal you think about it, to increase the safety requirements for the use of E-Voting.
The reactions to the withdrawal of the Post were yesterday different. The opponents of the E-see voting their basic security concerns are confirmed. The withdrawal of the affected cantons of Basel-Stadt, Freiburg, Thurgau, and a new castle show understanding for the decision by the Post. They hope, however, that the System for national elections in the fall will be available again.
The cantons concerned also want to put in the future on the E-Voting.
“We want to keep the E-Voting,” says the Thurgau state writers Rainer Gonzenbach. In the Canton of Thurgau E-Voting is so far only the registered Swiss Abroad open. According to the cantonal authorities, to be the national elections, the last Test for the E-Voting, before it was a wise step for the residents of the Canton itself is introduced. Should this not be in the autumn of possible confusion would be the plans of the Canton. Compensation claims to the Post office in the Thurgau, but not an issue, says Gonzenbach.
for Barbara Schüpbach-Guggenbühl, state writer in Basel, it is clear that the Swiss abroad in your Canton will also vote in the future, electronically. This is, finally, already since 2009. What concerns the extension to the rest of the voting public, is in the city of Basel but at the moment everything is open.
the decision of The Post comes at a delicate time. Because, actually, the Canton of Basel-city had planned, the E-Voting System at the polls in may on a nationwide basis. The Parliament had agreed to the 2017, together with expenditure of around CHF 6 million. At the end of February, the same Parliament voted but surprisingly for a move, wants to stop the nationwide E-Voting.
The government has until the end of may time for a response. The Parliament then confirmed his decision, stopped the project. Any compensation claims of the Post does not want to comment on the Basel state / songwriter.
Mail pays hardly any prize money
The Canton of Fribourg, is in the introduction of E-Voting is a step further than the Canton of Thurgau, and Basel-city. In addition to the abroad registered voting citizens of the small village of Treyvaux Swiss are allowed in a test phase, their vote electronically. Among the users of the Postal system, new castle, goes the furthest. Including the Swiss abroad 30 percent of the voting citizens have access to the E-Voting System: a total of 30’000 people.
In the Canton of Zurich E-Voting not possible. The Canton of Bern uses until the beginning of 2020, the System of the Canton of Geneva. As this is set afterwards, the remains of the Post as the only provider of an E-Voting system.
For the 3200 hackers who have tested the System, it is well worth the commitment, by the way financially. Up to 150’000 Swiss francs in prize money, had put the Post in view. Paid it has 17’000 Swiss francs.
(editing Tamedia)
Created: 29.03.2019, 23:06 PM
