E-Voting-Test of the Post: hackers waving up to 50'000 Swiss francs

For 20 years, discussed the use of electronic voting in Switzerland. The only thing about the year 2020, the remainder of the E-Voting System, the Post is available since Monday on the test bench. Around 2700 IT Security specialists to scour it for security issues.

At the Start of the so-called intrusion test for the Postal System to electronic voting, the Federal Chancellery and the Post office informed on Monday in Bern. Only a quarter of the hackers and experts who have signed up to the world's most advertised Test comes from Switzerland. 13 percent come from France, just under 7 percent from the United States and 5 percent from Germany.

participants whose diagnosis is confirmed, depending on the degree of compensation of up to 50'000 Swiss francs. In total, a compensation of a maximum of 150'000 Swiss francs is provided.

cantons on the lever

the brakeman and driver of E-voting in Switzerland are the cantons. You decide whether a Federal vote takes place electronically. Already in the year 2000, the Parliament had decided in principle that preparations for electronic voting in Switzerland. However, in 2004, E-Voting came for the first time in a Federal election.

E-Voting is according to information from the Federal Chancellery is currently in ten cantons. System provider the Post and until the end of February 2020 the Canton of Geneva. The Geneva System used in the past, the cantons of Bern, Luzern, Aargau, Vaud, and St. gall. The Canton of St. Gallen has now changed to the System of the Post.

Tests in different cantons

The E-Voting System, the Post has been used according to the Post for 2016 in the cantons of Thurgau, neuchâtel, Fribourg and Basel-city in 11 elections and voting, without complications.

the new Generation of Post system that will be tested in the next four weeks, publicly, for the first time, a System with individual and full verifiability. Both the voters by means of a code, as well as the electoral authorities, by means of calligraphy can check the accuracy of the information.

the sticking point remains the safety. The security of E-Voting can not be proved according to the responsible, also by the running Test. He will offer the Chance to discover unknown vulnerabilities and to fix if needed. Whether the Post will receive a permit for your System, the Federal Council will decide, if a Canton is an application for use.

The introduction of E-Voting is not without controversy. The Canton of Geneva, one of the pioneers of electronic voting, suspend the operation of the system at the end of February 2020. Hackers of the Chaos Computer Club had shown how the data traffic of Tuning can be redirected to the wrong Server.

Initiative against E-Voting starts in March

To view a non-partisan Committee the people should decide on the introduction of E-Voting. At the end of January, the launch of a national initiative was announced for a Moratorium on E-Voting. For justification it is stated that E-Voting is insecure and the democracy-threatening. Electronic voting should be banned, according to the will of the founders, therefore, for the time being, during at least five years.

At the head of the initiative Committee of the Lucerne SVP national councillor Franz Grüter. How Grüter explained on Monday to the news Agency Keystone SDA, the collective start of the Initiative, the 12. March. Currently have pledged well over 5000 supporters to gather at least five signatures. (Dec/sda)

Created: 25.02.2019, 11:19 PM