Global hackers test online voting platform in Las Vegas

On 9 August, hackers from across the globe convened in Las Vegas to hack a new online voting platform to test and identify potential digital vulnerabilities in future election systems. The Secure Internet Voting (SIV) platform, operated by a US firm, allows voting via phones or computers and is currently in small pilot programs in the US. However, its broader adoption for conducting elections confronts challenges arising from security concerns, leading most states to favour the traditional method of auditable paper ballots.

SIV founder David Ernst, noting the general pessimism on the security of internet voting, stated ‘We believe that there are modern tools and technologies that allow you to make it hyper-secure, with a higher level of security than you can currently achieve with paper’. He further highlighted how SIV was successfully used to select a party primary candidate in 2023 when Republican Celeste Maloy was chosen through SIV and subsequently won Utah’s 2nd congressional district seat in November.

Americans are greatly concerned about voting security as they fear potential foreign cyberattacks on the upcoming elections. National security officials have already found Russia and Iran engaging in online influence campaigns in the current election. Moreover, in previous election cycles, Russian hackers targeted election offices and voting machine companies, and as such, their resilience became a paramount concern.