OVSTA
Consultant's Security and Telecommunications Review Report
Democracy Live Secure Select 1.0
Read the report at Democracy Live ↗
Democracy Live
Secure Select 1.0
Security and Telecommunications Test Report
CDL-306-STR-01
Prepared for:
Vendor Name Democracy Live
Vendor System Secure Select 1.0
Prepared by:
4720 Independence St.
Wheat Ridge, CO 80033
303-422-1566
www.SLICompliance.com
Accredited by the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) for Selected Voting System Test
Methods or Services
Test Report Version 2.1 Page 1 of 21
Document No. CDL-306-STR-01
Democracy Live
Secure Select 1.0
California Certifcation
Security & Telecomm Test Report
Copyright 2017 by SLI ComplianceSM, a Division of Gaming Laboratories International, LLC
Revision History
Date Release Author Revision Summary
8.24.2017 1.0 J. Peterson Initial Release
8.28.2017 2.0 M. Santos Updated for CASOS comments
8.29.2017 2.1 M. Santos Updates for CASOS comments
Disclaimer
The information reported herein must not be used by the client to claim product
certification, approval, or endorsement by NVLAP, NIST, or any agency of the
Federal Government.
Trademarks
• SLI is a registered trademark of SLI Compliance.
• All products and company names are used for identification purposes only
and may be trademarks of their respective owners.
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Democracy Live
Secure Select 1.0
California Certifcation
Security & Telecomm Test Report
TABLE OF CONTENTS
OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................................................... 4
PHASE I – DOCUMENTATION REVIEW ..................................................................................................... 4
5.5 VOTE SECRECY ON DIRECT RECORDING ELECTRONIC (DRE) AND ELECTRONIC BALLOT MARKING
(EBM) SYSTEMS .......................................................................................................................................... 5
6.1.2 DATA TRANSMISSIONS ......................................................................................................................... 5
6.2 DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, AND MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS ................................................................. 6
6.2.1 CONFIRMATION ................................................................................................................................... 6
7.1.1 ELEMENTS OF SECURITY OUTSIDE MANUFACTURERS CONTROL ............................................................ 6
7.2 ACCESS CONTROL ................................................................................................................................. 7
7.2.1 GENERAL ACCESS CONTROL ............................................................................................................... 7
7.2.2 GENERAL ACCESS CONTROL ............................................................................................................... 8
7.4.5 SOFTWARE REFERENCE INFORMATION ................................................................................................. 8
7.4.6 SOFTWARE SETUP VALIDATION ............................................................................................................ 8
7.8 TESTING – SECURITY.............................................................................................................................. 9
PHASE II - FUNCTIONAL SECURITY TESTING ...................................................................................... 10
5.5 VOTE SECRECY ON DIRECT RECORDING ELECTRONIC (DRE) AND ELECTRONIC BALLOT MARKING
(EBM) SYSTEMS ........................................................................................................................................ 11
7.2.1 GENERAL ACCESS CONTROL ............................................................................................................. 11
7.2.2 ACCESS CONTROL IDENTIFICATION .................................................................................................... 12
7.2.4 ACCESS CONTROL AUTHORIZATION ................................................................................................... 12
7.4.5 SOFTWARE REFERENCE INFORMATION .............................................................................................. 12
7.4.6 SOFTWARE SETUP VALIDATION .......................................................................................................... 13
7.6 TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND DATA TRANSMISSION ................................................................................. 14
7.8 TESTING – SECURITY............................................................................................................................ 14
7.8.1 ACCESS CONTROL ............................................................................................................................ 15
7.8.2 DATA INTERCEPTION AND DISRUPTION ............................................................................................... 15
PHASE III – TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND DATA TRANSMISSION TESTING.................................... 16
6.1.2 DATA TRANSMISSION ......................................................................................................................... 16
6.2 DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, AND MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS ............................................................... 17
6.2.1 CONFIRMATION ................................................................................................................................. 17
POTENTIAL VULNERABILITIES ............................................................................................................... 18
SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................................. 20
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Secure Select 1.0
California Certifcation
Security & Telecomm Test Report
Overview
This report discusses the results of the Security and Telecommunications testing of
the Democracy Live Secure Select 1.0 remote accessible vote by mail system
(RAVBMS).
Testing was implemented without any prior knowledge of the source code.
The testing was divided into three (3) phases.
(cid:1) Phase I – Documentation Review. This included a review of all pertinent
documents for appropriate processes and procedures for implementing a
secure system. This included review of the system design and architecture.
(cid:1) Phase II – Functional Security Testing. This phase included testing of
relevant software, operating systems and hardware configurations.
(cid:1) Phase III – Telecommunications and Data Transmission Testing. The
phase included testing of all telecommunications aspects of the system.
The California Voting Systems Standards (CVSS) were written in such a way to be
applicable to a wide variety of voting technology. Therefore, the relevant portions of
the CVSS are reviewed as they relate to the Remote Accessible Vote by Mail
System (RAVBMS) for purposes of this report. The use of “voting system” shall
apply to the RAVBMS.
Phase I – Documentation Review
In this phase, Democracy Live Secure Select 1.0 documentation was reviewed to
verify and validate the following relevant requirements:
(cid:1) 5.5 Vote Secrecy on Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) and Electronic
Ballot Marking (EBM) Systems
(cid:1) 6.1.2 Data Transmissions
(cid:1) 6.2 Design, Construction, and Maintenance Requirements
(cid:1) 6.2.1 Confirmation
(cid:1) 7.2 Access control
(cid:1) 7.2.1 General Access Control
(cid:1) 7.2.2 General Access Control
(cid:1) 7.4.5 Software Reference Information
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(cid:1) 7.4.6 Software Setup Validation
See the applicable section below for more details on these requirements and the
review results.
5.5 Vote Secrecy on Direct Recording Electronic (DRE)
and Electronic Ballot Marking (EBM) Systems
a. Immediately after the ballot is recorded to persistent electronic storage or
printed, erasing the selections from the device’s display, working memory,
and all other storage, including all forms of temporary storage
b. Immediately after the voter chooses to cancel his or her ballot, erasing the
selections from the display and all other storage, including buffers and other
temporary storage
Review of the Technical Data Package (TDP) validated that the requirement was
satisfactorily covered.
6.1.2 Data Transmissions
These requirements apply to the use of telecommunications to transmit data for the
preparation of the system for an election, the execution of an election, and the
preservation of the system data and audit trails during and following an election.
While this section does not assume a specific model of voting system operations
and does not assume a specific model for the use of telecommunications to
support such operations, it does address the following types of data, where
applicable:
(cid:1) Voter Authentication: Coded information that confirms the identity of a
voter for security purposes for a system that transmits votes individually
(cid:1) Ballot Definition: Information that describes to a voting machine the
content and appearance of the ballots to be used in an election
(cid:1) Vote Count: Information representing the tabulation of votes at any level
within the control of the jurisdiction, such as the polling place, precinct or
central count
(cid:1) List of Voters: A listing of the individual voters who have cast ballots in a
specific election
Additional data transmissions used to operate a voting system in the conduct of an
election, but not explicitly listed above, are also subject to the requirements of this
section.
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Review of the Technical Data Package (TDP) validated that the requirement was
satisfactorily covered.
6.2 Design, Construction, and Maintenance Requirements
Design, construction, and maintenance requirements for telecommunications
represent the operational capability of both system hardware and software. These
capabilities shall be considered basic to all data transmissions.
Review of the Technical Data Package (TDP) validated that the requirement was
satisfactorily covered.
6.2.1 Confirmation
Confirmation occurs when the system notifies the user of the successful or
unsuccessful completion of the data transmission, where successful completion is
defined as accurate receipt of the transmitted data. To provide confirmation, the
telecommunications components of a voting system shall notify the user of the
successful or unsuccessful completion of the data transmission. In the event of
unsuccessful transmission, the user shall be notified of the action to be taken.
Review of the Technical Data Package (TDP) validated that the requirement was
satisfactorily covered.
7.1.1 Elements of Security Outside Manufacturers Control
The requirements of this section apply to the capabilities of a voting system that
must be provided by the manufacturer. However, an effective security program
requires well defined security practices by the purchasing jurisdiction and the
personnel managing and operating the system. These practices include:
(cid:1) Administrative and management controls including access controls
(cid:1) Internal security procedures
(cid:1) Adherence to, and enforcement of, operational procedures (e.g., effective
password management)
(cid:1) Security of physical facilities
(cid:1) Organizational responsibilities and personnel screening
Review of the Technical Data Package (TDP) validated that the requirement was
satisfactorily covered.
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Secure Select 1.0
California Certifcation
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7.2 Access Control
Access controls are procedures and system capabilities that detect or limit access
to system components in order to guard against loss of system integrity,
availability, confidentiality, and accountability. Access controls provide reasonable
assurance that system resources such as data files, application programs, and
computer-related facilities and equipment are protected against unauthorized
operation, modification, disclosure, loss or impairment. Unauthorized operations
include modification of compiled or interpreted code, run-time alteration of flow
control logic or of data, and abstraction of raw or processed voting data in any form
other than a standard output report by an authorized operator.
Access controls may include physical controls, such as keeping computers in
locked rooms to limit physical access, and technical controls, such as security
software programs designed to prevent or detect unauthorized access to sensitive
files. The access controls described in this section are limited to those controls
required to be provided by system manufacturers.
Review of the Technical Data Package (TDP) validated that the requirement was
satisfactorily covered.
7.2.1 General Access Control
a. Voting system equipment shall provide access control mechanisms
designed to permit authorized access to the voting system and to prevent
unauthorized access to the voting system.
i. Access control mechanisms on the EMS shall be capable of
identifying, and authenticating individuals permitted to perform
operations on the EMS.
b. Voting system equipment shall provide controls that permit or deny access
to the device’s software and files.
c. The default access control permissions shall implement the minimum
permissions needed for each role or group identified by a device.
d. The voting device shall prevent a lower-privileged process from modifying a
higher-privileged process.
e. An administrator of voting system equipment shall authorize privileged
operations.
f. Voting system equipment shall prevent modification to or tampering with
software or firmware through any means other than the documented
procedure for software upgrades.
Review of the Technical Data Package (TDP) validated that the requirement was
satisfactorily covered.
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Secure Select 1.0
California Certifcation
Security & Telecomm Test Report
7.2.2 General Access Control
Identification requirements provide controls for accountability when operating and
administering a voting system.
a. The voting system shall identify users and processes to which access is
granted and the specific functions and data to which each entity holds
authorized access.
Review of the Technical Data Package (TDP) validated that the requirement was
satisfactorily covered.
7.4.5 Software Reference Information
a) The manufacturer shall provide the National Software Reference Library
(NSRL), any California certified escrow facility, pursuant to Title 2, Division
7, Chapter 6 of the California Code of Regulation, and the Office of the
Secretary of State with a copy of the software installation disk, including the
executable binary images of all third party software. Further, the
manufacturer shall deposit the source code, tools, and documentation, to
allow the complete and successful compilation of a system in its
production/operation environment.
i. The manufacturer shall document that the process used to verify the
software distributed on unalterable storage media is the certified
software by using the reference information provided by the NSRL
or other designated repository before installing the software.
b) The voting system equipment shall be designed to allow the voting system
administrator to verify that the software is the certified software by
comparing it to reference information produced by the NSRL or other
designated repository.
c) The manufacturers shall document to whom they provide voting system
software.
Review of the Technical Data Package (TDP) validated that the requirement was
satisfactorily covered.
7.4.6 Software Setup Validation
a) Setup validation methods shall verify that only authorized software is
present on the voting equipment. Authorized software is COTS software
components needed to run the voting system and voting software
components identified by the manufacturer as authorized.
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b) The manufacturer shall provide a method to comprehensively list all
software files that are installed on voting systems.
c) Setup validation methods shall include a software verification method
that ensures that the voting system software has not been modified
illegitimately.
d) Voting systems shall include a software verification method that either
verifies software prior to installation or a method that verifies software using
an external interface. Voting systems may include both software verification
methods. Voting systems may provide ancillary setup validation methods,
including methods for verifying or identifying installed software, other than
those described in this section. There are no specific requirements for
ancillary setup validation methods. However, any method intended to serve
as the voting system software verification method must meet the
requirements outlined in this section.
e) Voting systems which implement a software verification method that verifies
software prior to installation shall meet the following requirements.
f) If software is verified after being installed on the voting system equipment,
the voting system equipment shall provide an external interface to the
location of the voting system software for software verification purposes.
g) Setup validation methods shall verify the contents of all system storage
locations (e.g., system registers, variables, files, etc.) containing election
specific information (e.g., ballot style, candidate registers, measure
registers, etc.).
Review of the Technical Data Package (TDP) validated that the requirement was
satisfactorily covered.
7.8 Testing – Security
The S-ATA shall design and perform test procedures that test the security
capabilities of the voting system against the requirements. These procedures shall
focus on the ability of the system to detect, prevent, log, and recover from the
broad range of security risks identified. These procedures shall also examine
system capabilities and safeguards claimed by the manufacturer in the TDP to go
beyond these risks. The range of risks tested is determined by the design of the
system and potential exposure to risk. Regardless of system design and risk
profile, all systems shall be tested for effective access control and physical data
security.
The S-ATA may meet these testing requirements by confirming proper
implementation of proven commercial security software. In this case, the
manufacturer must provide the published standards and methods used by the U.S.
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Secure Select 1.0
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Government to test and accept this software, or it may provide references to free,
publicly available publications of these standards and methods, such as
government web sites.
At its discretion, the S-ATA may conduct or simulate attacks on the system to
confirm the effectiveness of the system's security capabilities.
Review of the Technical Data Package (TDP) validated that the requirement was
satisfactorily covered.
7.8.1 Access Control
The accredited testing laboratory shall conduct tests of system capabilities and
review the access control policies and procedures submitted by the manufacturer
to identify and verify the access control features implemented as a function of the
system. For those access control features built in as components of the voting
system, the S-ATA shall design tests to confirm that these security elements work
as specified.
Specific activities to be conducted by the S-ATA shall include:
a. A review of the manufacturer’s access control policies, procedures and
system capabilities to confirm that all requirements have been addressed
completely
Review of the Technical Data Package (TDP) validated that the requirement was
satisfactorily covered.
Phase II - Functional Security Testing
In this phase, functional tests were exercised in order to verify and validate the
following requirements:
(cid:1) 5.5 Vote Secrecy on DRE and EBM Systems
(cid:1) 7.2.1 General Access Control
(cid:1) 7.2.2 Access Control Identification
(cid:1) 7.2.4 Access Control Authorization
(cid:1) 7.4.5 Software Reference Information
(cid:1) 7.4.6 Software Setup Validation
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California Certifcation
Security & Telecomm Test Report
(cid:1) 7.6 Telecommunications and Data Transmission
(cid:1) 7.8 Testing – Security
(cid:1) 7.8.1 Access Control
(cid:1) 7.8.2 Data Interception and Disruption
5.5 Vote Secrecy on Direct Recording Electronic (DRE)
and Electronic Ballot Marking (EBM) Systems
a) Immediately after the ballot is recorded to persistent electronic storage
or printed, erasing the selections from the device’s display, working
memory, and all other storage, including all forms of temporary storage
b) Immediately after the voter chooses to cancel his or her ballot, erasing
the selections from the display and all other storage, including buffers
and other temporary storage
Testing performed: Testing was performed to verify how the system handled a
ballot being printed and the browser closed, as well as when the ballot is closed
prior to being printed. Attempts were made to resume a ballot, as well as to
determine if any ballot information resided in history or cache.
Secure Select 1.0 performed as expected and the requirement is met.
7.2.1 General Access Control
General requirements address the high-level functionality of a voting system.
These are the fundamental access control requirements upon which other
requirements in this section are based.
a. Voting system equipment shall provide access control mechanisms
designed to permit authorized access to the voting system and to prevent
unauthorized access to the voting system.
Testing performed: Testing was performed of multiple server setups which
included an unrestricted test setup, and a data domain whitelist protected system
to verify that the whitelisting of JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) domains
successfully blocks load of JSON files from an invalid domain.
Secure Select 1.0 performed as expected and the requirement was met.
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Secure Select 1.0
California Certifcation
Security & Telecomm Test Report
7.2.2 Access Control Identification
Identification requirements provide controls for accountability when operating and
administering a voting system.
a. The voting system shall identify users and processes to which access is
granted and the specific functions and data to which each entity holds
authorized access.
Testing performed: Testing was performed to verify the system’s ability to
correctly process invalid data domain white listings. Two different test systems
were tested in order to verify that an open system accepts JavaScript Object
Notation (JSON) ballot definition files from anywhere, and that the locked down
SS-CA application successfully blocks non-whitelisted domains.
Secure Select 1.0 performed as expected and the requirement was met.
7.2.4 Access Control Authorization
a. Voting systems shall ensure that only authorized roles, groups, or
individuals have access to election data.
b. Voting systems shall explicitly authorize subject’s access based on access
control lists or policies.
c. Voting systems shall explicitly deny subject’s access based on access
control lists or policies.
Testing performed: Testing was performed to verify the system’s invalid data
domain whitelisting. Two different test systems were used to verify that an open
system accepts JSON ballot definition files from anywhere, and that the locked
down SS-CA application successfully blocks non-whitelisted domains.
Secure Select 1.0 performed as expected and the requirement was met.
7.4.5 Software Reference Information
a. The voting system equipment shall be designed to allow the voting system
administrator to verify that the software is the certified software by comparing
it to reference information produced by the NSRL or another designated
repository.
Testing performed: Testing was performed to confirm that the Secure Select 1.0
system contains a Verification URL that contains a hash code value that can be
checked to verify if the source code has been modified.
Secure Select 1.0 performed as expected and the requirement was met.
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7.4.6 Software Setup Validation
a) Setup validation methods shall verify that only authorized software is
present on the voting equipment. Authorized software is COTS software
components needed to run the voting system and voting software
components identified by the manufacturer as authorized.
b) The manufacturer shall provide a method to comprehensively list all
software files that are installed on voting systems.
c) Setup validation methods shall include a software verification method
that ensures that the voting system software has not been modified
illegitimately.
i. The voting systems shall include any supporting software and
hardware necessary to conduct the software verification method.
ii. The manufacturer shall document the process used to conduct the
software verification method.
iii. The software verification method shall not modify the voting
system software on the voting system.
d) Voting systems shall include a software verification method that either
verifies software prior to installation or a method that verifies software using
an external interface. Voting systems may include both software verification
methods. Voting systems may provide ancillary setup validation methods,
including methods for verifying or identifying installed software, other than
those described in this section. There are no specific requirements for
ancillary setup validation methods. However, any method intended to serve
as the voting system software verification method must meet the
requirements outlined in this section.
e) Voting systems which implement a software verification method that verifies
software prior to installation shall meet the following requirements.
f) If software is verified after being installed on the voting system equipment,
the voting system equipment shall provide an external interface to the
location of the voting system software for software verification purposes.
g) Setup validation methods shall verify the contents of all system storage
locations (e.g., system registers, variables, files, etc.) containing election
specific information (e.g., ballot style, candidate registers, measure
registers, etc.).
Testing performed: Testing was performed to confirm that the Secure Select 1.0
system contains a Verification URL that contains a hash code value that can be
checked to verify if the source code has been modified.
Secure Select 1.0 performed as expected and the requirement was met.
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7.6 Telecommunications and Data Transmission
There are four areas that must be addressed by telecommunications and data
transmission security capabilities: access control, data integrity, detection and
prevention of data interception, and protection against external threats.
Testing performed: Tests were performed to verify that if the system utilizes
electrical or optical transmission, that the ballot was sent via SSL, and no receipt is
utilized to verify. What is sent is a blank ballot that does not contain any voter data
or voting selections.
Secure Select 1.0 performed as expected with regard to usage of SSL, and no
receipt is utilized to verify the transaction. For a RAVBMS that is only delivering a
blank ballot, this may be considered acceptable, and the requirement is met.
7.8 Testing – Security
The S-ATA shall design and perform test procedures that test the security
capabilities of the voting system against the requirements. These procedures shall
focus on the ability of the system to detect, prevent, log, and recover from the
broad range of security risks identified. These procedures shall also examine
system capabilities and safeguards claimed by the manufacturer in the TDP to go
beyond these risks. The range of risks tested is determined by the design of the
system and potential exposure to risk. Regardless of system design and risk
profile, all systems shall be tested for effective access control and physical data
security.
The S-ATA may meet these testing requirements by confirming proper
implementation of proven commercial security software. In this case, the
manufacturer must provide the published standards and methods used by the U.S.
Government to test and accept this software, or it may provide references to free,
publicly available publications of these standards and methods, such as
government web sites.
At its discretion, the S-ATA may conduct or simulate attacks on the system to
confirm the effectiveness of the system's security capabilities.
Testing performed: Confirmed that Secure Select 1.0 does not have, nor require,
internet access once the ballot has been downloaded. There are no external
connections from the ballot to any outside server or service. With the exception of
sending the ballot to a connected printer to be printed, there are no external
connections to or from the ballot.
Secure Select 1.0 performed as expected and the requirement was met.
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Secure Select 1.0
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7.8.1 Access Control
For those access control features built in as components of the voting system, the
S-ATA shall design tests to confirm that these security elements work as specified.
Specific activities to be conducted by the S-ATA shall include:
a. A review of the manufacturer’s access control policies, procedures and
system capabilities to confirm that all requirements have been addressed
completely
Note that sub-requirement “a.” is a documentation requirement that is
addressed in Phase I above.
b. Specific tests designed by the S-ATA to verify the correct operation of all
documented access control procedures and capabilities, including tests
designed to circumvent controls provided by the manufacturer. These
tests shall include:
i. Performing the activities that the jurisdiction will perform in specific
accordance with the manufacturer’s access control policy and
procedures to create a secure system, including procedures for
software and firmware installation
ii. Performing tests intended to bypass or otherwise defeat the security
environment. These tests shall include simulation of attempts to
physically destroy components of the voting system in order to
validate the operation of system redundancy and backup capabilities
This review applies to the full scope of system functionality. It includes
functionality for defining the ballot and other pre-voting functions, as well as
functions for casting and storing votes, vote canvassing, vote reporting, and
maintenance of the system’s audit trail.
Testing performed: Testing was performed to confirm that access control was
maintained. Attempts to attack the system included XSS, SQL Injection, Directory
listings, and http login pages, as well as SSL certificate information.
Secure Select 1.0 performed as expected and the requirement was met.
7.8.2 Data Interception and Disruption
For systems that use telecommunications, as provided for in section 6 of the
Standards and consistent with California law, to transmit official voting data, the S-
ATA shall review, and conduct tests of, the data interception and prevention
safeguards specified by the manufacturer in its TDP. The S-ATA shall evaluate
safeguards provided by the manufacturer to ensure their proper operation,
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including the proper response to the detection of efforts to monitor data or
otherwise compromise the system.
Testing performed: Verified that this system does not utilize telecommunications
for the transmission of official voting data – only the delivery of a blank ballot that
does not contain voter data or choice selections.
Secure Select 1.0 performed as expected and the requirement was met.
Phase III – Telecommunications and Data Transmission
Testing
In this phase, tests were conducted in order to verify and validate the following
requirements:
• Testing of system communications, including encryption of data, as well
as protocols and procedures for access authorization
In this phase, tests were exercised to verify and validate the following
requirements:
(cid:1) 6.1.2 Data Transmission
(cid:1) 6.2 Design, Construction, and Maintenance Requirements
(cid:1) 6.2.1 Confirmation
6.1.2 Data Transmission
These requirements apply to the use of telecommunications to transmit data for
the preparation of the system for an election, the execution of an election, and the
preservation of the system data and audit trails during and following an election.
While this section does not assume a specific model of voting system operations
and does not assume a specific model for the use of telecommunications to
support such operations, it does address the following types of data, where
applicable:
(cid:1) Voter Authentication: Coded information that confirms the identity of a
voter for security purposes for a system that transmits votes individually
(cid:1) Ballot Definition: Information that describes to a voting machine the
content and appearance of the ballots to be used in an election
(cid:1) Vote Count: Information representing the tabulation of votes at any level
within the control of the jurisdiction, such as the polling place, precinct or
central count
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(cid:1) List of Voters: A listing of the individual voters who have cast ballots in a
specific election
Additional data transmissions used to operate a voting system in the conduct of an
election, but not explicitly listed above, are also subject to the requirements of this
section.
Testing performed: Testing included transmissions of the Secure Select 1.0
SPA (Single Page Application) voting ballot that is served from a Hosted
webserver, to the voter. Scans were performed to determine if there were any
basic web server vulnerabilities in the initial serving of the browser application that
houses the Secure Select 1.0 ballot. None were found.
Secure Select 1.0 performed as expected and the requirement was met.
6.2 Design, Construction, and Maintenance Requirements
Design, construction, and maintenance requirements for telecommunications
represent the operational capability of both system hardware and software. These
capabilities shall be considered basic to all data transmissions.
Testing performed: Verified that Secure Select 1.0 system consists of a SPA
format ballot which is typically used for absentee and mail-in ballot marking.
Secure Select 1.0 does not utilize specific telecommunications channels once the
ballot has been downloaded and opened on the end voter’s machine.
Secure Select 1.0 performed as expected and the requirement was met.
6.2.1 Confirmation
Confirmation occurs when the system notifies the user of the successful or
unsuccessful completion of the data transmission, where successful completion is
defined as accurate receipt of the transmitted data. To provide confirmation, the
telecommunications components of a voting system shall notify the user of the
successful or unsuccessful completion of the data transmission. In the event of
unsuccessful transmission, the user shall be notified of the action to be taken.
Testing performed: Testing included accessing of a ballot from the host and
checking for confirmation. This requirement was determined to be not applicable,
as the system only allows the voter to mark and confirm marked ballots prior to
printing out a ballot summary card. There are no live connections from the
application to a remote server. All selections are cleared after browser has been
closed.
Secure Select 1.0 performed as expected and the requirement was met.
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Potential Vulnerabilities
For any potential vulnerabilities discovered, SLI was tasked with identifying the
particular standards applicable to each vulnerability. To the extent possible,
reported vulnerabilities include an indication of whether the exploitation of the
vulnerability would require access by:
(cid:1) Voter: Usually has low knowledge of the voting machine design and
configuration. Some may have more advanced knowledge. May carry out
attacks designed by others. They have access to the machine(s) for less
than an hour.
(cid:1) Poll Worker: Usually has low knowledge of the voting machine design and
configuration. Some may have more advanced knowledge. May carry out
attacks designed by others. They have access to the machine(s) for up to
one week, but all physical security has been put into place before the
machines are received.
(cid:1) Elections Official Insider: Wide range of knowledge of the voting machine
design and configuration. May have unrestricted access to the machine for
long periods of time. Their designated activities include:
(cid:2) Set up and pre-election procedures;
(cid:2) Election operation;
(cid:2) Post-election processing of results; and
(cid:2) Archiving and storage operations.
(cid:1) Vendor Insider: Possesses great knowledge of the voting machine design
and configuration. They have unlimited access to the machine before it is
delivered to the purchaser and, thereafter, may have unrestricted access
when performing warranty and maintenance service, and when providing
election administration services.
SLI will not verify or demonstrate exploitability of the vulnerability but the report of
the vulnerability will identify factors involved in the exploitation.
Any vulnerability theories developed by the security team shall, to the extent
possible, be referred to the Secretary of State staff.
7.2.1 General Access Control
(cid:1) Possible attack vector would be whitelisting a commonly used JavaScript
Object Notation (JSON) repository domain. Such domain whitelisting should
remain jurisdiction or vendor controlled specific.
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Secure Select 1.0
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For the vulnerability in question, the level of access required to take advantage of
this potential vulnerability would be inclusive to the following actors:
(cid:1) Voter, who could attempt to modify the delivered JSON, or attempt to
remotely exploit the web server serving the JSON files.
o The impact of modifying the delivered JSON file in their own
environment would be a local attack, which would only impact that
particular voter. The impact is neglible. No mitigation recommended,
as what someone does in their own environment is impossible to
prevent.
o The impact of remotely exploiting the server that is serving the JSON
files is potentially significant. If the attacker can modify ballots without
being detected, they could manipulate voters who utilize the
RAVBMS to vote for other than their intended choice. Alternatively if
they can at least replace the JSON files with corrupted files, this
would serve as a type of denial of service, as when the ballots are
marked, printed mailed in and then attempted to be processed, only
to be determined to be fraudulent, this could impact many voters
such that they are not able to cast their vote. Recommended
mitigation is to minimize users and rights to web server, as well as to
monitor JSON files and server audit logs as continuously as possible,
while the web server is running.
(cid:1) Election Official Insider, who could attempt to remotely exploit the web
server serving the JSON files.
o The impact of remotely exploiting the server that is serving the JSON
files is potentially significant. If the attacker can modify ballots without
being detected, they could manipulate voters who utilize the
RAVBMS to vote for other than their intended choice. Alternatively if
they can at least replace the JSON files with corrupted files, this
would serve as a type of denial of service, as when the ballots are
marked, printed mailed in and then attempted to be processed, only
to be determined to be fraudulent, this could impact many voters
such that they are not able to cast their vote. Recommended
mitigation is to minimize users and rights to web server, as well as to
monitor JSON files and server audit logs as continuously as possible,
while the web server is running.
(cid:1) Vendor Insider, who could attempt to locally exploit the web server serving
the JSON files.
o The impact of remotely exploiting the server that is serving the JSON
files is potentially significant. If the attacker can modify ballots without
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Security & Telecomm Test Report
being detected, they could manipulate voters who utilize the
RAVBMS to vote for other than their intended choice. Alternatively if
they can at least replace the JSON files with corrupted files, this
would serve as a type of denial of service, as when the ballots are
marked, printed mailed in and then attempted to be processed, only
to be determined to be fraudulent, this could impact many voters
such that they are not able to cast their vote. Recommended
mitigation is to minimize users and rights to web server, as well as to
monitor JSON files and server audit logs as continuously as possible,
while the web server is running.
7.4.5 Software Reference Information
Testing did not identify a method of successfully modifying the server code to verify
if the protection method was viable. In theory, the functionality is there; however,
at this point testing is unable to verify validity.
For the vulnerability in question, the level of access required to take advantage of
this potential vulnerability would be inclusive to the following actors:
(cid:1) Voter, who could attempt to modify the server code remotely.
(cid:1) Election official insider, who could attempt to modify the server code
remotely.
(cid:1) Vendor Insider, who could attempt to locally modify the server code.
Summary
The Democracy Live Secure Select 1.0 application is an JSON SPA (Single
Page Application), which means that once the initial server call for the application
is processed, the entire application runs in the current browser session. Since the
SPA doesn’t utilize incoming or outgoing connections once the ballot is loaded, this
reduces the possibility of interception or manipulation through network attack
vectors.
This, however, poses a risk of server side contamination. To help mitigate this, the
vendor provides high level documentation about the processes / procedures and
security to mitigate these risks. This documentation includes but is not limited to:
(cid:1) Secure Hosting
(cid:1) Physical Security of Hosting Sites
(cid:1) Network Security
(cid:1) Inventory and Configuration Management
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(cid:1) Access Control
(cid:1) Monitoring and Logging
It should be noted that security testing of the server side hosting security was not
performed beyond review of documentation and attempts to access the provider
site. Democracy Live utilizes a commercial cloud based platform to host Secure
Select 1.0.
Voter privacy is ensured by removing client side storage of marked selections,
which allows the voter to verify and print a ballot summary card for use in currently
setup jurisdiction absentee / mail-in voting programs.
The ability to tamper with the client side application is always present due to the
fact there are no server side verifications or validations in place. In this context,
however, the ability to affect large numbers of ballots is reliant upon server side
compromise (initial Secure Select 1.0 ballot launch), and the failure of the
Absentee / Mail-in ballot system. The voter is given the ability to proof and confirm
ballot selections within the Secure Select 1.0 interactive ballot system as well as
the paper ballot summary. The voter is also required to print, sign and mail the
ballot.
For the vulnerability of a malicious actor exploiting the web server serving the
JSON ballot files.
The impact of remotely exploiting the server that is serving the JSON files is
potentially significant. If the attacker can modify ballots without being detected,
they could manipulate voters who utilize the RAVBMS to vote for other than their
intended choice. Alternatively if they can at least replace the JSON files with
corrupted files, this would serve as a type of denial of service, as when the ballots
are marked, printed mailed in and then attempted to be processed, only to be
determined to be fraudulent, this could impact many voters such that they are not
able to cast their vote. Recommended mitigation is to minimize users and rights to
web server, as well as to monitor JSON files and server audit logs as continuously
as possible, while the web server is running
No discrepancy findings were identified within the Democracy Live Secure Select
1.0 RAVBMS.
As per the direction given by the California Secretary of State, this security testing
report does not include any recommendation as to whether or not the system
should be approved.
End of Security and Telecommunications Test Report
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