[Breaking] PA Voter Reg. Compromised

Coming in from the WITF radio news website is this news of a security breach.

(Harrisburg) -- With just three days to go until the state's voter registration deadline for the upcoming primary, Pennsylvania's online voter information website has been shut down because of a security breach. Rebecca Halton, spokeswoman for the Department of State, says officials learned late Tuesday that information submitted by some users through the onscreen registration process had been viewed by others.

Information that may have been viewed includes the names, addresses, driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers of applicants. It’s never been technically possible to register online in the Commonwealth. But until now, applicants could fill out a form on the department's website, print it out, and then mail it to the local county elections office. The voter registration deadline for the April 22nd primary is Monday and all applications must be postmarked by that date.

 These security breaches are sure getting around.
Please forgive the shortness of this diary. I am not politcally savvy enough to know what it all means, if anything, but it does seem like some serious watergate type stuff is going on lately. So who's behind this?  Is it the Clinton camp or McCain's? What affect does it have on the registration deadline in 3 days?  I know , I know. Lot's of questions and no answers...YET.

UPDATE:  Must be related to the  record numbers of Dems registering to vote. Only Obama supporters swamp the lines like this.

UPDATE: I found this. It's seems to be a new Clinton strategy. How else would she be able to find out the voters who"fit the profile". Damn but she's a dirty politician. Really have lost my respect for her.

The Clinton campaign has also mounted a major registration effort in Pennsylvania, the first time in the primary season it has done so. While the former first lady has drawn most of her support in other states from traditional Democratic "base" voters, her aides believe she is positioned strongly enough in Pennsylvania to draw a significant number of independents, especially independent women.

The Clinton campaign is using extensive phone banks to identify likely switchers, targeting voters "who fit the profile'" of the New York senator's supporters and sending them registration applications upon request, said campaign spokesman Mark Nevins.

UPDATE: I'm just spooked. Found this:
PA Voter Services did a sloppy job providing voter registration form on its website. Though they fixed it once notified, for an unknown period of time, the service allowed anyone to view thousands of filled-out voter registration forms.

Time to put this puppy to bed and me too. Thanks to nycstray for giving me peace of mind. :)

•  Nevermind the tips!

  But, can someone explain what this is all about and what it means to the primary?  

  by ggwoman55 on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 01:46:44 AM PDT

  •  a tip for being up this late

    I think we will have to see

    by hdaman on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 02:05:07 AM PDT

    •  I'm in Hawaii, but yes, starting to be my bedtime

      I love Spring Break!!

      by ggwoman55 on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 02:10:35 AM PDT

•  Obama campaign should ask for an extension

  of the deadline to make up for lost days.

  by NeuvoLiberal on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 01:54:01 AM PDT

  •  Definitely - this could make a big difference n/t

    by barath on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 01:59:36 AM PDT

•  why the hell tie Clinton into it?

  yes, she is having a voter drive. maybe it's in response to HIS campaign there, commercials and all?

  and if you don't think his campaign is phone banking and knocking on doors of likely switchers also, then darlin' you are whack.

  get a grip and read the info you posted:

  "It’s never been technically possible to register online in the Commonwealth."

  maybe PA fucked up on their website? perhaps?

  by nycstray on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 02:24:51 AM PDT

  •  I do have a grip. It's this particular sentence

    Rebecca Halton, spokeswoman for the Department of State, says officials learned late Tuesday that information submitted by some users through the onscreen registration process had been viewed by others.

    that tips it away from coincidence or techie probs, especially based on certain other recent security breaches.

    by ggwoman55 on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 02:39:30 AM PDT

    •  they may have wired the process wrong

      i doubt the low info clinton voters are hacking.

      remember why Fla didn't think a vote by mail would work? they had never done it before. PA is prob experiencing growing pains. i doubt when they set up the system, they expected a sudden  flood of online registration. hell, the caucuses and primaries didn't even have enough supplies. and we all know how well those new electronic voting machines are working . . .

      don't be too quick to blame the other campaign. look first to those that may not know what they are doing . .  . and then Obama  team. seems to me, they are the new media campaign  ;)

      and an interesting side note: when i pass around certain online political action alerts, i've learned to be careful before passing on the link. i go so far as to open another browser and start fresh because some of the sites retain your info. so if you post the link, all your info will show up even if you think you've cleared it. if anyone is passing around the registration link after signing up, they may be passing the info themselves.

      by nycstray on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 02:57:20 AM PDT

      •  well, I hope you're right, just growing pains or

        more like the "Obama team. seems to me, they are the new media campaign".
        They have really done a great job. People are ready for change.

        by ggwoman55 on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 03:07:15 AM PDT

        •  i wouldn't let every little thing lead you to

          Clinton. look at how the passport peeking turned out . .

          it'll save ya a ton of stress ;)

          by nycstray on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 03:11:23 AM PDT

          •  Thanks for that, you! Now I'm going to sleep,

            zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

            by ggwoman55 on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 03:14:26 AM PDT

•  Is it another "consultant" running the website?

  Your diary kicked off a little rant in my head about privatization: Stories this past day have noted that one of the “consultants” mentioned in passport-gate is The Analysis Corporation (TAC). Their website includes enough flags draped across its masthead to make up for the one Obama doesn't wear.

  Like a gazillion other intelligence companies that have emerged in the wake of 9-11 and the vast infusion of funds into homeland security, TAC is a private firm that contracts with military branches and intelligence agencies to fight terrorism. That TAC is “friendly” with the Bush administration is pretty clear; just review the names and histories of the executive and management team. From CEO John Brennan on down, there isn’t a person at the senior level who doesn’t have long ties to the defense industry, intelligence community, and current maniac-in-chief. Brennen himself was tapped by Tenet to head up the National Counterterrorism Center, with approval of Bush. He's the classic example of the revolving door, where lifetime public sector employees leave to do the same thing they did for the government, and make much, much more, while maintaining cozy relations with their former employers. In addition to this latest passport screw-up, TAC was awarded a contract to manage the Terrorist Watchlist. And we know how wonderfully accurate that is!

  It'd be worthwhile to know if the PA voter registration website was also run by one of these "consultants" like TAC or Diebold. Sorry for the tin foil rant, but I'm sick of the privatization of everything, most of which benefits Bush's buddies - and a lot of it invading our most cherished sectors: education, military, voting.  

  by Mother Mags on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 02:38:47 AM PDT

  •  It's gotten quite fashionable to wear tin foil.

    There's waaaay too much "security" and secrecy and "analysis" these days. The creepiness is starting to almost feel "normal" in that it's expected. Maybe I just never paid enough attention until the last 8 years, but I'm not surprised by anything anymore.

    by ggwoman55 on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 02:45:51 AM PDT

•  Just typical bad web security design

  Here is link to story at zdnet. In a nutshell, people were being allowed to enter data via a web form without having had to authenticate themselves with a unique session. In other words, just an open web site. The data was then being stored on the server. It was discovered that you could alter the strings being passed when requesting a URL from the web site that would retrieve and display the stored data.

  This seems, according to the report I read, just classic, elementary failure to have ever even taken or heeded web security programming 101.

  Major flaw in State of Pennsylvania online voter registration puts user data at risk

  The fact is that the current crop of tools made available my software companies make it incredibly easy through GUI (graphical user interface) development environments to throw web sites together. The more harsh fact is that usually the young, inexperienced programmers thrown into these projects have absolutely no clue or training over proper session control in a web application.

  This most ordinarily involves cookie, so the server can have a clue on each request from a browser that the requesting computer was there before, and so can match up a request and pretend there is communication of a stateful sort going on in what is in reality a stateless environment. But that is not enough for sensitive data. For that there should also be an second layer or authentication, e.g. via ID and PW. And each request submitted for a new return of data as a web page or object by a user should be reviewed for BOTH cookie and logged in session authentication before taking action and returning any data.

  I have written web apps including shopping carts, and without the minimal implementation of the two step process above on EVERY REQUEST TO THE SERVER, you do not and cannot have a secure web application.

  by HeartlandLiberal on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 04:55:39 AM PDT

•  HRC & Gov. Rendell Riggin The Vote Up In PA

  Thats all it is folks. The only way the Clintons can win anything is by winning ugly.

  by DFutureIsNow on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 05:00:33 AM PDT

•  I tried

  to print form and couldn't.  My repug husband is switching to vote for Obama.  Finally went to library for form after making phone calls to see where I could get one.  I guarantee others in this area (18951) won't spend this amount of time looking for form.  I see it as a real problem.

  by paj1 on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 05:29:52 AM PDT

  •  visit your closest Obama

    office - they have forms!

    where is 18951?

    by bobnbob on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 05:39:17 AM PDT

    •  or...

      Go to the library!  Go to the supermarket, shopping centers, etc.  There may be a table out there.  And I'm sure if you are home this weekend, someone will knocking at your door to help you.  If you were in Monroe County, I might be at your door this morning.

      by I teach music on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 06:01:35 AM PDT

    •  Thanks

      Quakertown, Pa. Bucks County.  We have a Democratic Headquarters on the main street but it's not open.

      by paj1 on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 06:46:43 AM PDT

      •  Library should have

        by marsbardem on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:28:02 AM PDT

  •  should still be able to print PDF

    and fill it out by hand, sign it, and mail it ASAP. i just printed some of those for some folks on Friday.

    the "online" reg was a joke from the start--crashed like crazy, then when you were done you STILL had to print, sign & mail it, so what's the point in even saying "online"?

    post offices & other muni buildings should have forms, too. sometimes even, and i shit you not, State Stores.

    by Librarian on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:35:27 AM PDT

•  Maybe

  I was misunderstood.  After threatening my husband with a kitchenless house (I'm a good cook), he finally admitted he likes Obama.  Then I found out how hard it was to find stores  etc with forms.  I was also disillusioned because as a senior citizen and a dailyKOS reader, I didn't know what to do without the internet.  There are no voting ads anywhere.  Heck I'm willing to open my doors to you guys and feed you.  I have a big house and it would be fun, especially if it was Kosers.

  by paj1 on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 06:52:16 AM PDT

  •  Problem is also that Sunday is Easter

    by marsbardem on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:29:15 AM PDT

•  No excuse for not providing forms on line for all

  by marsbardem on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:30:23 AM PDT

  •  right

    You don't have to be able to fill them out online, especially if the end product is a printed piece of paper. Just make the basic PDF downloadable... works for the IRS.

    by alizard on Sun Mar 23, 2008 at 02:45:01 AM PDT