Security News > 2023 > May > Let white-hat hackers stick a probe in those voting machines, say senators

Senators Mark Warner and Susan Collins this week introduced an amendment to the Help America Vote Act that would require the nation's Election Assistance Commission to include penetration testing in its certification process of voting hardware and software.

That tech would need to undergo pen testing before it could be used in elections.

The today's HAVA regulations - the law was passed in 2002 following that 2000 election - require the commission to provide testing and certification, decertification, and recertification of electronic ballot box hardware and software by accredited laboratories.

The proposed amendment - known as the Strengthening Election Cybersecurity to Uphold Respect for Elections through Independent Testing Act [PDF] - would not only require penetration testing in the certification process, it would also set up a voluntary vulnerability disclosure program for election systems.

The proposal comes as the US gears up for a presidential race in 2024, and just weeks after top cybersecurity officials revealed declassified details of attempts by Iranians to compromise election infrastructure in 2020.

"There was no impact to election infrastructure, no impact to voting systems, no impact to the free and fair conduct of the election," Goldstein said.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/05/11/us_voting_system_pen_testing/