Secure Voting Systems
The Colorado Department of State has encountered an issue with its voting systems, citing a recent upload of passwords to a public website. The mistake was described as an accident by Secretary of State Jena Griswold, who said it was made by a civil servant who no longer works for the department.
Chain of Custody and Audit Protocols
The department has emphasized the security measures in place to prevent tampering with the voting systems. It cited "strict chain of custody requirements that track when a voting systems component has been accessed and by whom," and said that each "Colorado voter votes on a paper ballot, which is then audited during the Risk Limiting Audit to verify that ballots were counted according to voter intent."
Password Change Efforts
Griswold described the password upload as an accident and said that the mistake has been rectified. However, the department is taking extra precautions to ensure the security of the voting systems. "Out of an abundance of caution, we have people in the field working to reset passwords and review access logs for affected counties," she said. The goal is to change all passwords by this evening.
Support and Observers
The Polis administration is providing support "to complete changes to all the impacted passwords and review logs to ensure that no tampering occurred." According to a joint statement issued by Gov. Jared Polis and Griswold, state employees with cybersecurity and technology expertise will be deputized to update passwords for election equipment in counties. These employees will be accompanied by a second observer from the state and will be directly observed by local elections officials.
Investigation and Follow-up
Griswold said she is "thankful to the Governor for his support to quickly resolve this unfortunate mistake." An outside party will be conducting a personnel investigation into the particulars of how the mistake occurred. Griswold told Colorado Public Radio that her department has no reason to believe the passwords were posted with malicious intent.
Conclusion
The Colorado Department of State has taken swift action to rectify the issue with its voting systems and has emphasized the security measures in place to prevent tampering. The department is committed to ensuring the integrity and security of the voting process.
FAQs
Q: What happened with the voting systems?
A: A civil servant inadvertently uploaded passwords to a public website.
Q: How is the department addressing the issue?
A: The department is resetting passwords, reviewing access logs, and providing support to complete password changes by this evening.
Q: Are there security concerns with the voting systems?
A: No, the department has emphasized strict chain of custody requirements and audit protocols to prevent tampering.
Q: What is being done to ensure the security of the voting systems?
A: The department is taking extra precautions, including deputizing state employees with cybersecurity and technology expertise to update passwords and reviewing logs to ensure no tampering occurred.
Q: Will there be an investigation into the matter?
A: Yes, an outside party will conduct a personnel investigation into the particulars of how the mistake occurred.
